Pentagon Explains Why US Counter-Drone Equipment Sent to Middle East Instead of Ukraine

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly confirmed that American components of anti-drone systems intended for Ukraine were transferred to the Middle East.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to his statement on Fox News.

Hegseth mentioned how he testified before the US Congress this week, where he was asked specifically about Ukraine.

“One of the questions was: ‘Have you transferred some of your anti-drone systems from Ukraine to the Middle East? ’ I replied that yes, we had,” he said.

As the Pentagon chief explained, “we are using all available resources to protect our people in this region and around the world, because today the situation in the defense sector has changed.”

“Such small systems (drones – Ed.) can pose a great threat. We are as ready as possible,” Hegseth said.

Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the US had redirected components used by Ukraine to shoot down Russian drones, which are a key technology for countering enemy drones, to its troops in the Middle East.

These are special detonators that were used in surface-to-air missile systems to counter enemy drones, as previously reported by the media.

As The Gaze reported earlier, Russia is attempting to leverage escalating tensions in the Middle East to advance its strategic and economic interests, particularly in relation to its ongoing war against Ukraine, according to the Institute for the Study of War.