The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Q. Brown, said Thursday that Israel “has not received all the weapons it requested,” explaining that “although we support them with capabilities, they have not received everything they requested.”
Washington provides annual military aid worth $3.8 billion to Israel, its long-time ally. The United States is accelerating the delivery of air defenses and ammunition to Israel, but some Democrats and groups of Arab Americans have criticized the administration of President Joe Biden’s steadfast support for Israel.
“Some of that is because they’ve asked for things that we don’t have the ability to provide, or don’t want to provide… right now,” Brown added in a speech during an event hosted by the Defense Writers Group for defense and security journalism organizations.
He pointed out that the reason is also partly because “some of them may affect the readiness of the US Army,” in addition to the presence of “capacity limitations.”
A spokesman for Brown said later on Thursday that his comments referred to “standard practice before providing military assistance to any of our allies and partners.”
Navy Captain Grell Dorsey added in a statement: “We are evaluating US stockpiles and any potential impact on our readiness… to determine our ability to provide the required assistance.”
He continued: “There is no change in American policy. The United States continues to provide security assistance to our ally Israel as it defends itself against Hamas.”
Israel has been waging a war since October 7 against the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, which broke out after attacks carried out by the Palestinian movement.
Health authorities in Gaza say that more than 32,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, were killed in the Strip as a result of the devastating Israeli attack.
The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 resulted in the killing of about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, including women and children, and the kidnapping of 253 hostages.
The Israeli military operations sparked opposition within the Democratic Party to which President Joe Biden belongs, prompting thousands to choose “non-committed” on the party’s recent primary election ballot to choose its presidential candidate.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Galant, in Washington earlier this week. The Pentagon said that they discussed security assistance to Israel.
“It’s an ongoing dialogue,” Brown said.
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