American general warns US lacks resources to defend Israel from Iranian counterstrikes

US commander warns destroyer shortage could force choice between defending homeland and Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

The top US military commander in Europe has warned the Pentagon that he does not have enough Navy destroyers to sustain the defense of Israel against Iranian ballistic missiles without potentially compromising protection of the United States, according to a report published Saturday.

Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander of US European Command, sent a written notification to senior Pentagon officials saying that unless another destroyer is assigned to him, he could be forced to prioritize the US “homeland” over Israel, The Washington Post reported, citing officials familiar with the correspondence.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the reported warning. European Command did not respond to the Post, while an Israeli Embassy spokesperson could not be reached.

The notification does not amount to an announcement that the US is ending or reducing its defense of Israel. Rather, it formally alerts civilian leaders that Grynkewich believes the forces under his command are insufficient to meet all the missions assigned to them.

Such warnings allow combatant commanders to identify risks and compete for military resources that are already allocated among several regions and operations, a US defense official told the Post.

Grynkewich faces an especially difficult balance because European Command coordinates US military activity in the Mediterranean, including the destroyers that have intercepted Iranian and Houthi missiles heading toward Israel. At the same time, the command is responsible for supporting NATO defenses against Russia and helping protect the United States and its allies from long-range missile threats.

The immediate shortage involves Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat system and naval interceptors capable of striking ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere.

Five destroyers are based at Naval Station Rota in Spain: the USS Arleigh Burke, USS Bulkeley, USS Oscar Austin, USS Paul Ignatius and USS Roosevelt. A sixth ship is expected to join the force later this year, completing an expansion negotiated with Spain.

Vice Adm. Jeffrey Anderson, commander of the US Sixth Fleet, said in June that the additional destroyer “can’t get there soon enough,” as operations connected to Iran have diverted ships that otherwise would train with European and African partners.

“It’s a delicate balance between current readiness and then sustaining future readiness and helping to generate it,” Anderson said.

Since the US and Israel began attacking Iran in February, at least two and at times four Rota-based destroyers have operated in the eastern Mediterranean, according to an examination of publicly available deployment information. That pace has reduced the number of vessels available for NATO exercises, missions around Africa and maintenance periods needed to keep the ships operational.

Two of the Rota ships, the Paul Ignatius and Roosevelt, were in the Mediterranean at the end of last week, while the Arleigh Burke, Bulkeley and Oscar Austin were at Rota, according to the Post.

Independent tracking by USNI News also listed the Roosevelt and Paul Ignatius in the Mediterranean as of July 27. The USS Gonzalez was operating separately in the Red Sea, where the Navy has confronted attacks and shipping threats from the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

The shortage in Europe comes despite a large US naval buildup closer to Iran. Two aircraft carriers, the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush, were operating in the Arabian Sea alongside numerous destroyers and other warships supporting the campaign against Iran and the US blockade of Iranian ports.

Moving one of those destroyers to European Command could bolster Israel’s defense, but it also could weaken the blockade, carrier protection or efforts to safeguard commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz.

US forces have played a major role in Israel’s defense since the Iran war began. Pentagon assessments obtained by the Post earlier in the conflict reportedly found that American THAAD batteries and naval interceptors were used significantly more often than Israeli systems against incoming Iranian ballistic missiles.

The demands on the destroyers come alongside a broader depletion of US air-defense weapons.

A July analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that the US Patriot interceptor inventory had fallen from about 2,330 missiles before the war to between 759 and 827, a reduction of at least 65%. The estimated THAAD inventory remained at least 38% below its prewar level.

CSIS said Patriot inventories were below 1,000 missiles and THAAD supplies stood at approximately 250. Reduced stockpiles could force commanders to conserve weapons, launch fewer interceptors at individual threats or refrain from engaging missiles expected to land in unpopulated areas.

The immediate problem identified by Grynkewich is ship availability, but the number of interceptors aboard each available vessel presents an additional constraint. The SM-3 and SM-6 missiles carried by Navy ships cannot be replaced quickly after they are fired.

CSIS estimated that restoring naval-interceptor inventories to prewar levels could take until early 2029. Newly requested SM-3 and SM-6 missiles have production lead times of approximately 36 to 39 months before deliveries begin. Patriot and THAAD inventories could take three years or longer to rebuild.

Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at CSIS, said Grynkewich’s warning demonstrated that the military’s problem extends beyond any single ship or missile system.

“Being on a wartime footing is going to take a toll in terms of readiness and munitions inventory levels,” Karako said. “Now the question is: What’s the strategy here?”

Pentagon officials have publicly disputed suggestions that the US military is unable to continue its operations. In a statement last week, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the military “has everything it needs” to carry out operations ordered by President Donald Trump and maintains extensive capabilities to defend American personnel and interests.