Why the U.S. military is letting some Iranian projectiles through its defenses: #NBC News

U.S. military commanders have been picking and choosing which Iranian missiles and explosive-packed drones to intercept and are allowing some attacks through their defenses, amid an effort to preserve the Pentagon’s diminishing supply of weapons that block projectiles from reaching their targets, two senior U.S. officials told NBC News.

Military commanders have opted not to expend munitions if they determine an Iranian projectile won’t hit American forces, significantly damage critical U.S. facilities or threaten allies in the region, the officials said. The strategy has been in place since the early days of the war.

Efforts to preserve defensive munitions, such as picking and choosing whether to shoot down certain projectiles, are typical for the military. But the strategy has taken on new significance as the Iran war enters its fifth month and concerns about the U.S. munitions stockpile mount. NBC News has previously reported that the war has contributed to a significant shortage in the Pentagon’s supply of interceptors as well as missiles.

The result of the strategy, the sources said, is that some Iranian attacks make impact, particularly those that are on track to miss their intended targets, inflict minimal damage by striking an abandoned building or hit areas where there are no U.S. troops.

The U.S. officials said there also have been times when the U.S. military has allowed some Iranian missiles and drones to strike U.S. bases as long as Americans are not present. That is a departure from past practice, the sources said, where typically drones or missiles that threaten to hit bases would be shot down.