US Faces "Beyond Critical" Patriot Missile Shortage in Europe Driven by Iran War
🛡️ DETERRENCE — Europe's air defense is being hollowed out by a war it's not fighting. 📌 LOOK CLOSER: Patriot stocks drawn down for Iran operations leave NATO's eastern flank exposed precisely as the Pentagon reviews all 80,000 US troops in Europe. Berlin is co-funding UK nukes as a hedge; Poland and the Baltics now face an air defense gap with no near-term resupply. "Beyond critical" is the threshold where commanders start refusing commitments.
