Adm. Samuel Paparo receives a tour of the ballistic missile submarine USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN 730) during a tour of Naval Base Kitsap (NBK)-Bangor, Wash. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Brian G. Reynolds)
WASHINGTON — As the American weapons packages for Ukraine and Israel have started to include increasingly more complicated systems, the commander of US Indo-Pacific Command conceded finite munitions stockpiles could mean American assistance heading elsewhere around the world will impact the readiness of his own forces.
“Up to this year, where most of the employment of weapons were really artillery pieces and short-ranged weapons, I had said not at all,” Adm. Samuel Paparo told an audience at the Brookings Institute yesterday when asked about the issue.
“But now, with some of the Patriots that have been employed, some of the air-to-air missiles that have been employed, it’s now eating into stocks … and to say otherwise would be dishonest,” he continued.
As commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, Paparo is the most senior American military officer who is tasked on a daily basis with managing aggression from China as well as aiding in diplomatic efforts with other key US allies and partners in the region.
He went on to say that the United States’s stockpiles are “fungible” across all the possible military theaters they may be used in. Additionally he said his area of responsibility, however important it may be given the Pentagon’s rhetoric, has nothing “reserved.”
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“Inherently, it imposes costs on the readiness of America to respond in the Indo-Pacific region, which is the most stressing theater for the quantity and quality of munitions, because [China] is the most capable potential adversary in the world,” he said.
When asked if he agrees with Paparo’s assessment, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said today he had not seen the admiral’s comments but “every time we do a presidential drawdown, we take things that we have in our stocks, provide them to the country in need, and there’s been a significant need, and then we replace those items with new items and better items. And those munitions and those weapons are built in the United States of America.”
“That creates jobs,” he continued. “It puts us in a better position militarily … but it takes a little time and we recognize that. So we work with industry to expand capacity in our industrial base and that’s happening. In many cases industry has is rising to meet the demand, meet the challenge, and we’re going to continue to do that.”
The admission, though reserved, is significant coming from someone as senior as Paparo. The notion that America’s aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia is hampering the country’s ability to respond to China and potentially assist Taiwan has gained an audience in certain sectors of the GOP. Those criticisms intensified last October as it became clear the US would also divert some of its munitions — as well as key assets like capital warships — to the Middle East to help defend Israel.
When called to testify in front of lawmakers, senior military officials from across the services have acknowledged the packages to Ukraine and Israel have made a noticeable dent in the stockpiles held for US forces. But at a policy level, the Biden administration has made assisting Ukraine a top priority and staved off suggestions that the US must choose between helping Ukraine or preparing to counter China.
That could soon change.
Some of Trump’s allies in the GOP have been the most vocal in their criticisms against continuing to send weapons to Ukraine, and with Republicans controlling both the White House and the two chambers of Congress, continued support to Ukraine is anything but assured.
When pressed about whether Taiwan should be “concerned” about US stockpiles and the effect multiple global conflicts are having on them, Paparo said, “When you say concerned — should it keep them up at night?
“We should replenish those stocks,” he continued. “I was already dissatisfied with the magazine depth. I’m a little more dissatisfied with the magazine depth.”
