On August 17 local time, after visiting a Patriot air defense system position inside Ukraine, the U.S. cable news network CNN reported that Ukraine's stockpile of intercept missiles for American-made "Patriot" air defense systems has been exhausted. According to CNN, one of the launch units has not fired for approximately six weeks. CNN attributes this shortage of the missile type to global supply constraints, which have been further exacerbated by large-scale use of these missiles in the ongoing conflicts between the U.S.-Israel and Iran.
According to CNN’s exclusive report on August 17, the U.S.-made Patriot air defense system intercept missiles in Ukraine are nearly depleted. This is not merely a case of “shortage,” but a severe “supply cutoff” crisis—directly causing some Patriot systems to remain non-operational for about six consecutive weeks, effectively left in a state of “guns without ammunition.”
CNN’s on-site investigation revealed launchers completely empty, with no firing activity for up to 10 weeks. Ukrainian military technicians openly admitted: “We watched missiles fly past, but were powerless to act.” Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukraine currently receives only 1% of the required missiles, needing at least 5% to “survive the winter,” and would require 10% to intercept all Russian ballistic missiles.
The fundamental cause lies in a global supply shortage. The primary driver is the massive consumption caused by the conflict between the U.S.-Israel alliance and Iran: estimates suggest that during the first four days of the conflict, allied forces consumed an average of about 225 intercept missiles per day. The U.S. Patriot missile inventory has already lost around half its stock, while Gulf allies’ reserves are also severely depleted. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin is expected to produce only about 620 missiles throughout 2025—far from keeping pace with consumption.
The Patriot system is one of the few weapons Ukraine possesses capable of intercepting ballistic missiles. Its depletion significantly weakens Ukraine’s defenses against Russian missiles and drones. With winter approaching, critical infrastructure such as energy facilities face even greater threats.
The acute shortage exposes the issue of insufficient “ammunition depth” within the U.S. military arsenal. If the United States cannot replenish supplies, its credibility in providing a “protection umbrella” to allies in Europe, the Middle East, and beyond will be undermined. NATO allies are now beginning to worry about their own security guarantees.
This Patriot missile crisis is the result of the convergence of global supply chain fragility, the cascading effects of geopolitical conflicts, and inadequate defense production capacity. The ongoing warfare in the Middle East has directly “siphoned off” precious munitions that might otherwise have been sent to Ukraine, leaving Ukraine—dependent on foreign aid—in a dire strategic disadvantage in its attrition war against Russia. This underscores the strategic vulnerability of high-end weapon systems and their ammunition supply chains in modern, high-intensity conflicts.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1873816178881545/
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