U.S. Weapons Stockpiles Dwindling Amid Conflicts in Ukraine and Middle East, Indo-Pacific Preparedness Impacted

The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are depleting U.S. weapons stockpiles and could undermine the military’s ability to respond to a potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific, Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, warned on Tuesday. Speaking at the Brookings Institution in Washington, Paparo emphasized that the strain of providing billions of dollars in air defenses to Ukraine and Israel is now affecting the U.S. military's readiness in the Indo-Pacific, especially in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

“Up to this year, where most of the employment of weapons were really artillery pieces and short-range weapons, I had said, ‘not at all,’” Paparo explained when asked if U.S. involvement in Ukraine and the Middle East had compromised Indo-Pacific preparedness. “It’s now eating into stocks, and to say otherwise would be dishonest,” he added.

China has escalated its military activities around Taiwan, conducting a massive exercise in October involving 125 warplanes. These actions are part of Beijing’s sustained efforts to encircle the democratically governed island with joint drills near its skies and waters. Despite not recognizing Taiwan as a country, the U.S. remains its main partner, bound by laws to provide the island with defense capabilities.

The U.S. has provided Ukraine with over $60.4 billion in military assistance since the Russian invasion began over 1,000 days ago, including three Patriot air defense systems, over 40 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), and the longer-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). On Tuesday, Ukraine reportedly used ATACMS to strike inside Russia for the first time.

Meanwhile, in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on Israel in October, the U.S. deployed one of its few Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) batteries to Israel, accompanied by 100 troops. Additional air defense munitions have been supplied to support Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon amid its offensives against Hamas and Hezbollah.

The outgoing Biden administration is using the remaining $7.1 billion in presidential drawdown authority to send weapons to Ukraine before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. However, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh acknowledged that the ability to fulfill these commitments is constrained by limited stockpiles.

Paparo reiterated the urgency of replenishing U.S. weapons reserves. “We should replenish those stocks and then some,” he stated. Expressing concern over the current state of U.S. munitions reserves, he added, “I was already dissatisfied with the magazine depth. I’m a little more dissatisfied with the magazine depth.”

As conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East continue to strain resources, questions loom over the U.S. military's capacity to manage a potential crisis in the Indo-Pacific, underscoring the growing challenges posed by simultaneous global conflicts.