Asked by Voice of America correspondent Carla Babb why a THAAD could not be used to protect Ukraine from Russian attacks by deploying such missile defense systems in Eastern Europe such as Poland or Romania, Singh said it was it's about "different capabilities, different wars, different regions".
The Pentagon has officially confirmed that the US military will deploy a THAAD anti-ballistic defense system battery as well as 100 troops to Israel in the context of a possible strike on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory actions.
Such a system can intercept ballistic targets at a distance of up to 200 kilometers, and the system is highly relevant for Ukraine to intercept Russian Iskander and Kinzhal missiles. It should be noted that as early as December 2023 there were reports that Ukraine is negotiating with the US regarding the possible purchase of THAAD.
However, almost a year later, as of fall 2024, there have been no new reports on how the THAAD story for Ukraine is shaping up.
"The commitments to Israel and Ukraine are also different. We have a longstanding partnership to defend Israel. You saw the president commit to doing this on October 7th. And when Ukraine was attacked more than two years ago, the president pledged to support Ukraine as long as necessary . But again, you're talking about relocating different capabilities. And what is needed in the event of countering another Iranian attack is THAAD ," said the Pentagon's deputy spokeswoman.
Sabrina Singh added that other means are needed for Ukraine to be able to defend itself against Russian attacks.
"It's like comparing an apple and an orange (they are two completely different situations). I don't want to go through the whole list of everything we provide to Ukraine and everything we provide to Israel. But what I can tell you is that this administration, this Department of Defense, continues to support both [countries] in a variety of ways" Singh said.
As reported by Voice of America, the United States said on Sunday that it will send an advanced anti-missile system to Israel to bolster the country's air defenses after missile attacks by Iran. The system will be operated by the US military.
US President Joe Biden said he was sending the system "to defend Israel".
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery will strengthen Israel's integrated air defense system.
