US Admiral Admits Ukraine, Israel Military Aid Affecting Readiness for China

A high-ranking US Navy official has acknowledged that the country’s ongoing military support for Ukraine and Israel is beginning to affect its readiness to counter China.

Speaking at an event at the Brookings Institution, Adm. Samuel Paparo, the navy’s top commander in the Indo-Pacific, explained that transferring advanced weapons from US stockpiles is impacting Washington’s worldwide “high-end capability.”

“Inherently, it imposes costs on the readiness of America to respond in the Indo-Pacific region, which is the most stressing theater … because [China] is the most capable potential adversary in the world,” he stated.

Paparo also noted that he was initially unconcerned with the quantity of weapons sent to Europe and the Middle East, as they were mostly artillery and short-range systems.

However, as military aid continues to expand to include more advanced weaponry, he admitted that “it would be dishonest” not to say that the transfer is now depleting America’s stockpiles.

Washington’s military aid to Kyiv has included Patriot missiles and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers. The Pentagon has also deployed a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system to Jerusalem to protect against ballistic missile threats from Iran.

‘Unprepared for Sustained Conflict’

Paparo’s recent comments align with a congressional review in July, which urged the US military to expand and replenish its stockpiles in preparation for a potential conflict with China over Taiwan.

The 114-page report warned that the Pentagon is ill-prepared for a full-scale war with either Beijing or Moscow, let alone both simultaneously.

It even cautioned that with current stockpiles, the US could sustain a conflict for no more than “three to four weeks.”

“We should replenish those stocks,” Paparo emphasized. “I was already dissatisfied with the magazine depth. You know, it’s a time for straight talk.”