US and NATO officials told the Associated Press that interceptor stocks in Europe were ‘beyond critical’ after missiles moved to the Middle East. In Brussels, Elbridge Colby asked allies to show how they will assume primary responsibility for conventional defence. Poland, meanwhile, wants a role in NATO's nuclear deterrent but says it does not want warheads stationed on its soil.
A US defence official in Europe and a NATO official told the Associated Press that the American stock of Patriot interceptors on the continent was ‘beyond critical’. Speaking anonymously, they said missiles had been moved to the Middle East for the Iran war and that US forces in Europe would have ‘very limited’ capacity to stop even one Russian ballistic missile.[1]
At NATO headquarters in Brussels, US Defence Under Secretary Elbridge Colby asked Europe to show its progress towards taking primary responsibility for conventional defence. Washington's questionnaire asks European capitals about advances in military budgets and defence duties. The demand comes while the United States conducts a six-month review of its troop posture on the continent.[2]
Polish Deputy Defence Minister Pawel Zalewski said his country wants to participate in NATO's nuclear deterrent but does not want nuclear warheads on Polish soil. He also said Warsaw seeks a larger permanent US military presence through the force-posture review, pairing greater European responsibility for conventional defence with continued American support. Zalewski presented the review as part of a Pentagon approach in which Europeans handle conventional defence and the United States retains a supporting role.[3]
