A representative of the U.S. Navy told a congressional panel Tuesday that America is using up munitions at breakneck speed for Israeli defense.
Admiral James Kilby, acting chief of Naval Operations, was testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee during a hearing on the Navy’s budget.
He was asked by Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii about the Navy’s stockpile of available munitions for other potential threats, Fox News reported.
“The latest round of conflict in the Middle East utilized large amounts of munitions to defend Israel from Iranian strikes,” Schatz said. “Does the Navy currently have all the SM-3s it needs for global threats?”
“We do, sir,” Kilby replied, “but we are, to your point, using them at an alarming rate. As you know, those are missiles procured by the Missile Defense Agency and then delivered to the Navy for our use. And we are using them quite effectively in the defense of Israel.”
Secretary of the Navy John Phelan said naval leadership is “looking at a number of different avenues, including other parties and different ways of making some of these munitions,” calling it a “huge priority” of President Trump.
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky also weighed in on the matter.
“We need more munitions, air defense interceptors, long-range fires, he said. “Recent conflict tells us we need a lot more of them.”
Following Trump’s daring bunker-buster bombing mission against Iran, it’s time for the United States to take a deep breath and begin stepping back.
Israel will always be our ally. They bring stability to an otherwise chaotic region, maintain a special relationship with America, and deserve to live in peace.
Yet after Trump followed through on a plan that wiped out Iran’s nuclear capabilities, it appears as if Israel wants more from the U.S.
The commander in chief likely carried out the bombing raid to force both sides to the table in an effort to forge a lasting peace.