The Pentagon may cancel the plan to supply "Tomahawk" missiles to Germany due to concerns over Russian retaliation
¬ Media: The "Ford" carrier's actual damage is more severe, repairs could take up to a year
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According to Politico, citing two European officials and one U.S. official, the Pentagon is expected to cancel its original plan to deliver Tomahawk missiles to Germany, due to concerns that Russia might respond with retaliatory actions.
The report stated: "The Pentagon is expected to cancel the plan to deliver Tomahawk missiles to Germany, partly because officials fear Russia would view this as an escalation."
According to sources, U.S. officials are concerned that supplying these missiles could prompt Russia to take countermeasures. As noted by the publication, this decision may also be linked to the shrinking U.S. military arsenal amid tensions with Iran.
Additionally, according to two U.S. defense officials, the Pentagon has not yet disclosed any follow-up deployment plans for the 5,000 U.S. troops originally scheduled to be sent to Germany this spring.
According to Politico, Berlin is concerned that as the U.S. reduces its military presence in Europe, European nations will be forced to rapidly fill defense gaps at a pace beyond their domestic defense industries' actual capacity.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed to Sputnik News on May 2 that the U.S. plans to withdraw 5,000 American troops from Germany. Subsequently, President Trump announced on May 21 his intention to deploy an additional 5,000 U.S. troops to Poland.
The New York Times reported in March that during the conflict with Iran, the United States nearly exhausted its stockpile of stealth cruise missiles, firing Tomahawk missiles equivalent to ten years' worth of production, and consuming Patriot missiles equivalent to two years' output.
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CNN cited a U.S. Navy personnel who reported that the U.S.'s newest aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, suffered more serious damage during its participation in operations against Iran than officially acknowledged by military authorities, with repairs potentially taking up to a year.
In March, the ship experienced a major fire. Footage obtained by CNN shows that sleeping bunks were completely burned, leaving only charred metal, wires hanging from the ceiling, and ash covering the floor.
The network reported: "Due to wear and tear during operations, the Ford is currently expected to enter a prolonged technical maintenance phase, including additional repairs related to the fire."
The report indicates that the vessel may require at least a year before it is ready for sea deployment again.
The U.S. aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford returned to base on May 16, after 11 months of service and participation in operations against Iran. During its voyage, the ship encountered a series of technical issues. In addition to a laundry room fire that took over 30 hours for sailors to extinguish, the carrier's vacuum sewage system also failed in February.
Source: sputniknews
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1867140268637184/
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