Navy is down $1B in munitions from ops in Red Sea, says SECNAV
The dollar figure from the secretary comes as Speaker of the House Rep. Mike Johnson said he is ready to bring the supplemental funding bill the Navy needs passed to the floor for a vote.
By JUSTIN KATZ
on April 16, 2024 at 2:05 PM
WASHINGTON — Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro today told lawmakers his service is out at least $1 billion in critical munitions because of recent operations in the Middle East, a shortfall the Pentagon is banking on a congressional supplemental to help replenish.
“We currently have approaching $1 billion in munitions that we need to replenish at some point in time,” Del Toro told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense. “So, therefore the over $2 billion that’s provided for in the supplemental is direly critical to our Navy and Marine Corps to be able to replenish those munitions and continue to provide the types of defensive measures that we have this past six months now.”
The Pentagon’s munitions stockpile, and looming shortfalls, have become a pervasive topic for both lawmakers and outside analysts since last October when Hamas’ attack on Israel led US Navy warships to take up positions in the Red and Mediterranean Seas, while the Defense Department had already been sending numerous aid packages to Ukraine to fend off an invading Russian army.
The question of munitions was top of mind for lawmakers at today’s hearing following this weekend’s attack by Iran, in which it reportedly launched more than 300 drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles at Israel, with the goal of destroying F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. The US, United Kingdom, Jordan and Israel collectively defeated most of the incoming Iranian attacks, but the large scale assault as well as the secretary’s comments put into stark relief the strain the Navy’s SM-2, SM-6 and, as of this weekend, SM-3 stockpiles are under.
https://breakingdefense.com/2024/04/navy-is-down-1b-in-munitions-from-ops-in-red-sea-says-secnav/
