this post was submitted on 25 May 2026

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Damning Pentagon Leak Reveals Huge Blow to U.S. Defenses (www.thedailybeast.com)

submitted 2 days ago by Maeve@kbin.earth to c/progressivepolitics@lemmy.world

26 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Damning new data from inside the Pentagon suggests that U.S. forces are currently expending more resources defending Israel from missile strikes than Israeli forces themselves...

Three officials with knowledge of Defense Department assessments told The Washington Post on Thursday that the lopsided effort “underscores the extent to which Washington has shouldered the burden of countering Iranian ballistic missile strikes during Operation Epic Fury.”

U.S. forces, according to those assessments, have used up to half their total inventory of certain high-altitude interceptor systems, while Israel has deployed its own at a slower rate....
The situation has apparently sparked alarm among American allies in Asia, particularly South Korea and Japan, which depend on U.S. anti-missile defense systems to deter attacks from hostile states such as China and North Korea.

Hostile states, who haven't bothered anyone. Just like Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Syria...

Crosspost from https://lemmy.ml/post/47835338

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[–] FartMaster69@lemmy.dbzer0.com 49 points 2 days ago (4 children)

China is doing a lot of bothering people right now.

They’ve been doing a lot of saber rattling at their neighbors, particularly Japan and Taiwan.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 3 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Which has nothing to do with Iran or Israel.

[–] FartMaster69@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 13 hours ago

It does though, as US is burning through patriot interceptors they’re leaving a very low stock for a hypothetical war with China or North Korea, which is something US allies such as South Korea, Taiwan and Japan are rather concerned about.

[+] Semjeza@fedinsfw.app -8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

While the PRC has, the US has done its fair share of rattling at them, too.

So it's more rattling back at the US by proxy.

(Though obviously the best way to weaken US power in East Asia would be to recognise Taiwanese independence and then slowly pull it back into orbit by geographical and cultural proximity.)

[–] TheFonz@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (2 children)

When? Where?

[–] Katana314@lemmy.world 1 points 12 hours ago

Venezuelan fishing boats would like a word…

Granted, I’d like it if we weren’t doing any pointless fucking threatening.

[–] Semjeza@fedinsfw.app 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Military exercises with Japan and South Korea in East China Sea? Exercises with Philippines and Vietnam in the contested waters the PRC claims despite international court rulings to the contrary?

A lot of use of language calling China a threat?

[–] TheFonz@lemmy.world 1 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Hmm... What are those military exercises responding to? Hmm? What's China doing around the Philippines and Japan right now? Do you know? Hmm? I await your response

[–] Semjeza@fedinsfw.app 0 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Responding to Chinese exercises responding to US joint exercises responding to Chinese exercises responding to US joint exercises responding to China responding to...

Not sure what your point is. I said PRC and US both did it. So you agree with that, right?

[–] TheFonz@lemmy.world 0 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

No. It's very simple really and your attempt to downplay it is really pathetic. China has been aggressively expanding fishing and territorial operations in international waters. So this lame whataboutism you can shove it where the sun don't shine.

[–] Semjeza@fedinsfw.app 1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

Its funny of you to call my response to a post calling out China "whataboutism" when part of the idea of the original post is that the countries called out as hostile have done far fewer wars than the PoV nation-Empire The USA.
How dare I complicate a "China = bad, US = good" by exploring that the PRC might have reasons that make sense for it's actions.
How dare I not assume that China's aggressive expansion of fishing started in the 1970s when Korea and the US were engaging in anti-Communist war games around the DPRK and PRC after the Korean War.

Vietnam, Philippines, and the RoC are also part of the mess which is the South China Sea dispute (which really kicked off in the 70s too, with the discovery of oil there (how dare I write this aside insinuating which country is known best for its violations of international law, norms, and rules for a little bit of the black gold)) which to be clear I'm not on the PRC's side on (or indeed any of the claimants on the whole. The South China seas is a mess, and needs to be settled; obviously the PRC has much greater clout and military power than the other claimants, so it won't follow any arbitration that doesn't give it most of what if wants - following the precedent set by the US with the UN and ICJ (there's that "whataboutism" again, right? How dare I draw parallels and recognise similarities between hegemonic powers).

[–] TheFonz@lemmy.world 1 points 26 minutes ago

You're desperately trying to pivot the conversation about current issues to historical context hoping that that a absolves anything. It doesn't.

I never said the US was good, but, again, nice try to derail the conversation. I never absoved the US of past actions either. You guys do this a lot, I notice. These are all debate tactics to derail the discussion. They don't work any more. We can see through the bullshit. It doesn't change the fact that China is violating international waters. So shove it. Every country did bad things a hundred years ago. It's not an excuse to do what China is doing in the present.

[–] oakey66@lemmy.world 31 points 2 days ago

This is so America first!

[–] bitteroldcoot@piefed.social 26 points 2 days ago

You left out the part about our skyrocketing debt and inability to replace the ones used.

[–] moleverine@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago

It’s only damning if there are consequences.

[–] trijste@lemmy.ca 16 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we’ll die.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Is that the Dave Matthews version or Isiah 22 version?

[–] trijste@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 days ago

Matthews 😁🍻

[–] floofloof@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 days ago

https://web.archive.org/web/20260522181109/https://www.thedailybeast.com/damning-pentagon-leak-reveals-us-using-more-missile-defense-to-protect-israel-than-israel/

[–] minorkeys@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 days ago

Oh look, Trump's incompetence strikes again.

[–] honesthenery@thelemmy.club -3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Everybody posting this like crazy... it's like bro we already know. We have seen this one before. Derp. Consequences yup. Your opinions will change once you are begging for bread. I don't think Ukraine helped either. Cold War 2.0.... liberals gonna get duh bill baby. The ladder pullers are gonna squeal and of course shit rolls down hill. It is rotten all over. I am horrified by modern times but I stop to think.. welp same ol shit just louder, faster and dumber. You have been fooled once again, in your container of the left and the right you fight... this pattern is repeated all around the world. There are books about these transinternational security elite. The PDFiles are dominating you all. Everybody working but nothing is getting done. GOTCHAAAAAAA You will nail your saviours to a cross because you drink from a unholy cup of murdered baby blood.