Middle East — 2026-08-02

US European Command General Warns Pentagon He Lacks Naval Forces to Defend Israel from Iranian Missile Attacks

BLUFSustained interceptor expenditure against Iranian salvos will likely compel Washington to deploy an additional destroyer by September 1 or accept an explicit choice between defending US forces and backstopping Israel.

Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander of US European Command, told Pentagon officials earlier this week that Washington lacks sufficient naval forces to keep intercepting Iranian ballistic missiles aimed at Israel, according to a Washington Post report citing US officials 12. Absent an additional Navy destroyer, Grynkewich warned, the command will eventually have to choose between defending the United States and defending Israel 1. Neither the Pentagon nor US European Command responded to requests for comment, per the Post and Haaretz 34. The Post separately reported that the US has fired about 300 interceptors defending Israel during the war with Iran, including more than 200 THAAD interceptors, compared with roughly 190 fired by Israel itself 13. The Navy currently has five destroyers based out of Rota, Spain, with a sixth due later this year, and the fleet is further strained by a blockade of Iranian ports the Trump administration ordered after Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz 13.

Analysis
Washington likely will deploy at least one additional destroyer to the CENTCOM/EUCOM area by September 1, as sustained interceptor expenditure against Iranian salvos has drawn THAAD stocks down to where EUCOM has little slack to sustain current intercept tempo without reinforcement; absent it, the Pentagon must formally choose homeland defense over Israel's, reallocating THAAD and naval assets away from the Mediterranean. Confidence is moderate, resting on a single Washington Post account of Grynkewich's internal warning that Washington Examiner, Haaretz, and ANI have merely repeated without independent corroboration and that neither the Pentagon nor EUCOM has confirmed publicly. The warning may instead reflect routine inter-command competition for scarce naval assets rather than an imminent, Israel-specific shortfall.

4 sources

General warns he lacks sufficient forces to protect Israel amid Iran war - The Washington Post
US General tells Pentagon he cannot defend Israel from Iranian missile attack: Report - Washington Examiner
Report: U.S. Short on Forces to Defend Israel From Iranian Missiles, General Warns - Haaretz
Top US General warns Pentagon he lacks enough naval forces to protect Israel from Iranian attacks: Report - ANI News