Deputy Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh explained why the US is not deploying the THAAD medium-range missile interception system to protect Ukraine from Russian attacks, unlike Israel. During the briefing she emphasized, that the situations in Ukraine and the Middle East are different, and the US approaches to defense in these regions are different.
Singh emphasized that the US continues to support both Israel and Ukraine by providing for their defense needs. She also noted that the military obligations to these countries are not the same, and this affects the decision to use the THAAD system.
When asked why the THAAD system is being deployed to protect Israel from Iran’s ballistic missiles, but not to protect western Ukraine from Russian missiles, Singh said that these conflicts are of a different nature and take place in different regions, which dictates different obligations of the US before these countries.
It is worth noting that the US plans to deploy the THAAD system in Poland to protect Europe from possible threats from Russia. At the end of 2023, information appeared that Ukraine asked the United States to provide this complex to protect against missile attacks, however, the Pentagon has now confirmed that the THAAD system will be deployed in Israel along with maintenance personnel.
The THAAD system is unique in its ability to intercept missiles at long distances. The battery of the complex usually consists of 9 launchers, each of which has 8 missiles, as well as command centers and supply vehicles.
