Ukraine, Middle East wars depleting US air defence stocks — US admiral

Conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are eating into US stockpiles of air defences, the top US admiral overseeing American forces in the Asia-Pacific region has said.

The admission by Admiral Sam Paparo on Tuesday could draw the attention of members of President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration, who are more sceptical of the war in Ukraine and who argue that President Joe Biden has failed to prepare for a potential conflict with China.

"With some of the Patriots that have been employed, some of the air-to-air missiles that have been employed, it's now eating into stocks and to say otherwise would be dishonest," Paparo, head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, said during an event.

Paparo said the expenditure of US air defences "imposes costs on the readiness" of the United States to respond in the Asia-Pacific, particularly given that China is the most capable adversary in the world.

Biden's administration has been steadily arming Ukraine and Israel with its most sophisticated air defences and other offensive weapons. The US Navy has been directly defending shipping in the Red Sea in the face of missile and drone attacks from Houthi group in Yemen.

In the case of Ukraine, Biden has given Kiev a full array of missiles, including Patriot missiles and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile systems.

The United States last month deployed to Israel a THAAD, or the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, and about 100 US troops to operate it.

The THAAD is a critical part of the US military's layered air defence systems.