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Pentagon official admits US arsenals shrinking amid Ukraine, Mideast crises

Сommander of United States Indo-Pacific Command Samuel Paparo emphasized he was speaking about "the stocks of the United States of America, and the high end capabilities of the United States of America"

WASHINGTON, November 20. /TASS/. Washington’s military assistance to Ukraine and Israel is "eating into" the United States’ own stocks of advanced weapons, including air defense systems and missiles, commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command Samuel Paparo said.

Speaking at the Brookings Institution, the official was asked about how the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East impacted the US defense preparedness in the Asia-Pacific region.

"Up to this year, when most of the employed weapons were really artillery pieces and short-range weapons - I had said, not at all. But now, 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, you know. And to say otherwise would be dishonest," he said.

Paparo emphasized he was speaking about "the stocks of the United States of America, and the high end capabilities of the United States of America."

"We should replenish these stocks and add some," he said, adding that he was "dissatisfied" with his country’s present-day arsenals.