Ukraine Needs Patriot Batteries for Better Missile Defense

Ukrainians need more and better options to defend against these murderous attacks. The U.S. has been touting the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) operating in Ukraine. “Their performance so far has been very impressive,” Defense Secretary

Lloyd Austin

said last month, citing a 100% success rate intercepting Russian missiles.

But Ukraine has only two of the eight systems they’ve been promised. The other six still aren’t built. The Pentagon said the rest will arrive “over the next couple years,” and the Army’s Wednesday contracting announcement cites a 24-month lead time. The Center for Strategic and International Studies notes four other countries have the system and a few are awaiting deliveries, but because of “production backlogs and limited fielding to date, few systems will be available for transfer to Ukraine.” That’s cold comfort this winter.

Ukrainians urgently need U.S. Patriot missile defenses, but the Pentagon said Tuesday that “right now, we have no plans to provide Patriot batteries” to Ukraine. Air Force Brig. Gen.

Pat Ryder

cited “a pretty significant maintenance and sustainment tail, as well as training tail,” as reasons the U.S. hasn’t sent Patriots.

Patriot batteries are complex systems that require 90 soldiers to operate, and the Army’s training for becoming a Patriot repairer is longer than a year. But the Biden Administration’s Ukraine policy on everything from rocket systems to advanced jets has been: Drag your feet, then blame training that could have started months ago. The need for sophisticated Patriot batteries will be especially acute if, as reported, the Russians get Iranian ballistic missiles.

The sobering truth is that even the U.S. and its allies don’t have enough Patriot batteries. These systems have been in demand around the world, especially in the Middle East to counter the threat from Iran. Patriot units have in recent years had some of the highest operational tempos in the Army.

Israel’s Iron Dome air defense could also be helpful to the Ukrainians against Iranian drones. But the Israelis have declined to offer it, no doubt concerned about having to deal with Mr. Putin in their own backyard in Syria. Call it one more consequence of letting the Russians exploit the vacuum in the Middle East created by

Barack Obama.

Gen.

Mark Milley

said in October that Western allies need to “chip in” air defenses to help Ukraine cobble together a patchwork system of older equipment. But the U.S. can still start now to train our allies on the Patriot. Meanwhile, America will have to expand its own air-defense arsenal so no adversary questions the U.S. ability to fight a long war.