‘Great Slowdown’ in U.S. Arms, Ammunition Shipments

Over the last few months, we began to see that significant problems were beginning to emerge, and in fact we have had many quiet conversations between the United States and U.S. officials, and between myself and the President, to try to address the dwindling supplies.

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I raised this issue with Secretary Blinken, and I said I was hearing from Pentagon officials that very little was coming in. He said, “Well, it’s all underway. We’re doing everything we can to resolve issues and remove bottlenecks.”

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We don’t know what is causing this. But we know that there are significant delays in the supply of critical ammunition and weapons. I’m not talking about F-35s or F-16s years down the line. I’m talking about what is needed now to win the war in Gaza quickly and to avoid a war in Lebanon. Without such corrective measures, the risk of a war breaking out in Lebanon is increasing.

The slowdown in arms exports is suspected to be at the urging of anti-Israel Democrats, as President Joe Biden faces a tough re-election campaign and opposition from Arab and Muslim American voters in key battleground states such as Michigan.

The White House criticized Netanyahu’s public comments earlier this week, to which he responded, “I am willing to accept personal attacks if it is necessary to obtain the weapons and ammunition Israel needs to fight a war to survive.”

Netanyahu also told Sherman that he expected future governance of the post-war Gaza Strip to involve “inter-Arab sponsorship and support from Arab countries,” and that the Strip would have to go through “de-radicalization” once Hamas is gone.