Pentagon Under Secretary for Political Affairs Colby urges focus on China, not military aid to Ukraine - WSJ
Deputy Pentagon Chief of Staff for Political Affairs Elbridge Colby believes that the United States should devote all its efforts to preparing for a war with China.
According to Censor.NET, The Wall Street Journal reports this.
The publication notes that it was Colby who submitted a memo to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth outlining how Ukraine's requests for US weapons could further deplete the Pentagon's already limited stockpile.
The memo did not contain any recommendations, but some administration and congressional officials claim that it was taken into account in the Pentagon's decision to suspend some arms shipments to Kyiv, which US President Donald Trump later reversed.
According to his supporters, the incident clearly demonstrates Colby's commitment to fulfilling the US's longstanding promises to strengthen its military posture in the Western Pacific.
However, the situation also demonstrates the contradictory challenges for the new administration, which, along with supplying weapons to Ukraine, has already launched large-scale military operations against Iran and the Houthis in the Middle East at the beginning of its term.
"Colby thought very deeply about how the United States could best defend itself in an era of limited resources. Many politicians have refused to accept that reality," says Dan Caldwell, a former Hegseth's adviser.
Colby's actions surprised some officials in the region, as longstanding US policy ‘has not been very clear’ on what actions Washington might take in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, and Trump has not indicated his next steps.
U.S. suspends aid to Ukraine
Earlier, media reported that the United States had suspended shipments of missiles and ammunition to Ukraine due to concerns over the state of U.S. stockpiles. The White House later confirmed the halt in deliveries and stated that U.S. national interests are the priority.
A PBS journalist reported that in addition to PAC-3 interceptors for Patriot systems, the Pentagon has also halted the delivery of 155mm artillery shells, GMLRS rockets for M270 MLRS and HIMARS systems, Stinger anti-tank missiles, as well as AIM-7 and Hellfire air-to-ground missiles.
The Defense Ministry stated that Ukraine has not received any official notification regarding a halt or revision in the delivery schedule for defense assistance previously agreed upon with the United States under the prior administration.
On July 2, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video address, spoke about the progress of negotiations with the United States concerning the suspension of defense aid.
Afterwards, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that the United States has not halted arms deliveries to Ukraine, and that the situation with a single decision does not affect Washington’s overall commitments.
US President Donald Trump stated that his administration intends to supply Ukraine with more defensive weapons.
According to media reports, Trump promised Zelenskyy to send Ukraine 10 Patriot missiles.
Some US media reported that Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth unilaterally decided to suspend weapons shipments to Ukraine without informing the White House.
