- US Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said air defenses are some of the most in-demand capabilities.
- He told BI that Patriot battalions are, in some ways, the Army's new "tip of the spear."
- Patriots recently shot down Iranian missiles and have proved themselves in Ukraine.
Air defenders are becoming some of the US Army's most in-demand soldiers, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said.
After Patriot crews intercepted Iran's missile attack on a US base in Qatar last month, Driscoll said that air defenders are in some ways becoming the Army's "new tip of the spear," a phrase that is typically used for troops like special operators.
In a recent interview with Business Insider, Driscoll and Gen. James Rainey, the commanding general overseeing Army Futures Command, said Army leadership has seen a strong demand signal in recent conflicts.
Integrated air and missile defenses are "one of the most demanded and deployed capabilities we as an Army have," the Army secretary said. "We have been stressing those units for a long time."
He added that the demand signal will only increase, noting that Army leadership "likes to refer to them as, in some ways, the new tip of the spear."
The phrase often refers to elite, forward-deployed forces, like special operations forces like the Green Berets, Delta Force, or Rangers, because these forces are often deployed ahead of conventional forces and lead operations or shape the battlefield for strategic impact. It is not typically applied to defensive assets.
Air and missile defenses are critical for blunting strikes and threatening enemy airpower. Recruiting more soldiers for air defense battalions in 2026 and fielding additional Patriots and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems are priorities for the Army.
A need for more Patriots
The Army has 15 Patriot battalions, Gen. James Mingus, vice chief of staff of the Army, said at a Center for Strategic and International Studies event last week, although one is undergoing a major revamp. Three are deployed to the Indo-Pacific and one is in Europe. One Patriot in US Central Command has been there, Mingus said, for close to 500 days. The rest are service retained, or unassigned.
Mingus described the Patriot battalions as "a very stressed force element," and said the Army was aware it had to grow its number of systems, with plans to increase to 18 battalions, not including one going to Guam as part of the Guam Defense System.
The Army is also stockpiling munitions critical to this air defense mission. In its 2026 budget proposal, the service requested to quadruple its Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile. The Army has previously spoken about the need to increase the magazine depth for its munitions given the potential for a protracted conflict to chew through critical weapon stockpiles.
Recent reporting suggested US Patriot interceptor stockpiles could be critically low. The Army's big plans to dramatically increase its stockpile include a request for $1.3 billion in extra funding.
A high-risk situation could demand numerous interceptors. Recently, Patriot missile batteries were used to shield the US military's Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar from Iranian ballistic missiles launched in retaliation for US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine described the intercepts as "a lot of metal flying around."
The top general said it was believed to be "the largest single Patriot engagement in US military history."
The Pentagon acknowledged last week, as a satellite image showing damage at the base surfaced, that one enemy missile got through, causing "minimal damage to equipment and structures on the base." The rest of over a dozen missiles fired are said to have been intercepted.
Driscoll told BI that the soldiers involved in those air defense operations demonstrated "incredible bravery and an ability to stand back and do their job under immense stress."
M1M-104 Patriots are sophisticated surface-to-air missile defense platforms that long had mixed reviews but have been invaluable for Ukraine, which received the systems from the US and has been employing them against Russian missile and drone strikes. Ukraine has requested more of these systems and the interceptors, calling them critical for keeping civilian centers and cities safe.
Weapons to Ukraine
There's been recent confusion about whether the US intends to provide more Patriot interceptors to Ukraine.
Earlier this month, the White House said a decision had been made to pause ammunition delivery to Ukraine amid concerns about American stockpiles decreasing, with reports identifying Patriots as one of the capabilities being halted, specifically much-needed interceptor missiles. The shipment had been promised by the Biden administration.
Last week, President Donald Trump reversed the pause, telling reporters he didn't know who approved it. The Pentagon then said it would send additional defensive weapons to Ukraine.
In an interview, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the initial decision to pause the shipment "unfortunately was mischaracterized. It was a pause pending review on a handful of specific type munitions."
Trump said over the weekend that the US would be sending Patriots to Ukraine but that "the European Union is paying for it."
"We're not paying anything for it, but we will send it," he said. The president didn't specify how many systems or interceptors would be included or when Ukraine might receive the weapons.
Speaking at the White House Monday alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the president said that a deal was in the works to move Patriots out of NATO countries into Ukraine. The US would then backfill the lost capability.
"A couple of the countries that have Patriots are going to swap over, and we'll replace the Patriots," Trump said. Patriots are made by US defense firms RTX and Lockheed Martin, both of which are working to expand essential production.
