Policymakers often disregard the basic economic principle of scarcity, for they prefer making promises to making hard choices.
It turns out that this principle applies even in places hitherto treated as exempt from it, such as weapons manufacturing.
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The halted shipments included “a mix of air defenses and precision weapons that have been flowing to Ukraine for much of the past two-plus years,” per Politico.
Moreover, the decision came amid heavy Russian bombardment of Ukrainian civilian targets, including the capital city of Kyiv. Over the weekend, Russian forces reportedly launched 60 missiles and 477 drones and decoys.
Of course, as they often do, America’s elected officials have clamored for more weapons shipments to foreign countries.
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“U.S.-made air defense systems, including the Patriot platform, are the centerpiece of Ukraine’s defenses. … They work. They save lives every day,” Kaptur said.
She also chided Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s policy chief, who reportedly spearheaded the decision.
Of course, President Donald Trump’s administration took a different view of it.
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Meanwhile, Colby framed the decision as driven not only by scarcity but also by strategy.
“The Department of Defense continues to provide the President with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine, consistent with his goal of bringing this tragic war to an end. At the same time, the Department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving U.S. forces’ readiness for Administration defense priorities,” Colby said Tuesday, per The Hill.
One senses, of course, that if most Americans were to support any type of weapons being shipped overseas, air defense systems designed to protect civilians would certainly be among them.
On the whole, however, this story leaves three strong impressions.
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Second, why does Congress have a “Ukraine Caucus”? It seems that many elected officials work harder to protect foreigners’ interests than those of American citizens.
Finally, speaking of Americans’ interests, no one wants depleted stockpiles, particularly when those weapons protect civilians.
In short, when Colby referred to “Administration defense priorities,” he meant Americans first.
* Original Article:
Trump Admin Halts Missile Shipments to Ukraine in Move to ‘Put America’s Interests First’
