Israel is Getting Worried About the United States Depleting it’s Military Stockpiles to Prolong Ukraine War
Jose Nino
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Israeli authorities have become increasingly worried about the diminishing stockpile of United States munitions stored in the country. They are particularly worried about the US shipping the weapons through the Port of Ashdod to Ukraine.
“These are Israel’s reserve stockpiles for times of war … The move has had a bigger implication in light of the threats on Israel in multiple theaters,” a former cabinet minister said to Israel Hayom.
“US equipment stored in Israel was handed over to the US armed forces, in accordance with an American request,” the Israeli army stated in a response to an inquiry by Israel Hayom.
On top of that, an American official confirmed that “it is still not clear when the reserves will be restocked,” as the US has been pivoting from wreaking havoc in the Middle East to new conflict theaters in Eurasia — ranging from Ukraine to Taiwan.
As Ukraine is preparing for a major offensive against Russia, western nations have been working diligently to arm Ukraine with enough weapons to push back the Russians, as Ukrainian forces reportedly fire off 90,000 artillery shells monthly which is twice the rate of oral shell production of the US and Europe.
In January 2023, reports of the US Army tapping into its reserve stockpiles started surfacing.
“[The Pentagon has drawn from] a vast but little-known stockpile of American ammunition in Israel to help meet Ukraine’s dire need for artillery shells,” the New York Times reported on January 17.
Israel reportedly agreed to allow the weapons to be shipped on the condition that the US defense authorities replenish the stockpile, with the US pledge earlier in 2023 to “immediately ship ammunition in a severe emergency.”
Per the Israel Hayom report, the “implicit understanding” between Israel and the US has been that munitions kept in US military storage facilities “would be earmarked for Israel in times of emergency if the Jewish state faces a major attack along the scale as the 1973 Yom Kippur War.”
Things aren’t looking so good for Israel in the multipolar world. For one, the rise of China and Russia — two great powers that promote realism — on the global stage has made peace in the Middle East a distinct possibility now that Iran and the Gulf Arab states are reconciling with each other. This will leave Israel increasingly isolated on the world stage. Moreover, as the US pivots to Asia, it will simply not have as many resources allocated to Israel as it focuses on dually containing China and Russia — a quixotical task.
Overall, Israel will not be a priority for US authorities under this geopolitical dynamic. As a result, Israel will have to make tough geopolitical decisions in the upcoming decades.
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