U.S. Navy draining missile stockpile at “alarming rate” defending Israel, admiral warns
By isabelle // 2025-06-26
Copy
 
  • American warships are depleting costly SM-3 missile interceptors at an alarming rate to defend Israel from Iranian retaliation.
  • Pentagon officials admit to using Middle East conflicts as training for potential war with China over Taiwan.
  • Senators question Navy readiness as weapons stockpiles dwindle amid ongoing support for Israel’s Gaza assault.
  • The U.S. bombing campaign in Yemen has failed strategically but is being framed as combat experience against China.
  • Critics warn that U.S. prioritization of Israel's security undermines American preparedness and fuels global instability.
A senior U.S. Navy official revealed that American warships are depleting advanced missile interceptors at an "alarming rate" to defend Israel from retaliatory Iranian strikes. Admiral James Kilby, acting chief of naval operations, testified Tuesday that SM-3 interceptors costing taxpayers between $10 million and $30 million per missile are being burned through rapidly amid escalating Middle East conflicts. Meanwhile, Pentagon officials openly admit they view these engagements as preparation for a potential nuclear war with China over Taiwan, even as Washington bankrolls Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza. The revelations came during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, where Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) questioned whether the Navy could maintain its interceptor stockpiles given the "large amounts of munitions" expended in Israel’s defense. Kilby confirmed SM-3 missiles—designed to obliterate ballistic threats in space—are being used "quite effectively" to shield the Jewish state. Yet the admiral offered no specifics on how many interceptors have been fired since April 2024, when Iran launched drones and missiles in response to Israel’s bombing of its Damascus consulate.

Failed wars as "combat practice"

The U.S.'s parallel bombing campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels—who vowed to retaliate against any nation interfering with Palestine—has also drained U.S. munitions without achieving strategic objectives. Despite killing more than 200 civilians in Trump-led airstrikes earlier this year, Houthi forces continue targeting Red Sea shipping lanes in protest of Gaza’s destruction. Shockingly, The Wall Street Journal reported Pentagon brass see this failed campaign as "invaluable combat experience" for a looming "high-end conflict" with China. Such admissions expose the reckless prioritization of Israel’s security over American readiness, all while U.S. politicians enable a Gaza slaughter that has radicalized the Global South against Western interests.

The $30M per-shot shield

SM-3 interceptors represent the crown jewel of naval missile defense, capable of destroying intermediate-range threats in mid-flight. Although Kilby assured lawmakers the Navy has "sufficient" stockpiles, analysts warn the fiscal year 2025 defense budget slashed SM-3 procurement before Congress hastily reversed course. RTX (formerly Raytheon) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries profit handsomely from these contracts, even as the Navy scrambles to replenish arsenals depleted by Israel’s provocations. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) demanded solutions for munitions shortages, with Navy Secretary John Phelan vaguely promising "different ways of making" weapons. Such bureaucratic platitudes ignore the deeper outrage: American taxpayers are funding a genocide in Gaza and bankrolling its military fallout—all while Taiwan’s defense needs loom.

Complicity in apartheid and genocide

The timing of Kilby’s testimony couldn’t be more damning. As Israel entrenches its apartheid regime—formally acknowledged by rights groups like B’Tselem and Amnesty International—the U.S. military-industrial complex profits from endless escalation. The SM-3 interceptor debacle is symptomatic of America’s unchecked subservience to Israel in a relationship that has gutted U.S. moral credibility and militarized foreign policy. While Washington props up an apartheid state committing genocide, China rapidly modernizes its missile arsenal for a Taiwan contingency. If American leaders truly prioritized national security over tribal allegiances, they would halt all arms shipments to Israel and reinvest in domestic defense preparedness. Until then, the "alarming rate" of munitions depletion will only accelerate the march toward global catastrophe.   Sources for this article include: News.Antiwar.com BusinessInsider.com FoxNews.com
Copy