U.S. backtracks on Biden’s military remarks.

The Biden Administration Walks Back Comments on Military Preparedness

The Biden administration found itself in a precarious position after President Joe Biden’s recent remarks about the U.S. military’s readiness for war. During an interview with CNN, Biden’s statement regarding the Department of Defense’s ammunition shortage due to the conflict in Ukraine sparked controversy and backlash.

A White House official swiftly clarified the situation, stating, “The military has specific requirements for the numbers of weapons systems and ammunition we maintain in our reserves in case of contingencies or military conflict. Everything we send to Ukraine is in excess of that. So, the U.S. is not running out of ammunition ourselves.”

The President made these comments while discussing his decision to provide cluster munitions to Ukraine during an interview with Fareed Zakaria. Zakaria questioned the rationale behind this decision, highlighting that these weapons are banned by 100 nations, including some NATO allies. He also mentioned concerns about potential war crimes committed by Russia.

In response, Biden explained, “The Ukrainians are running out of ammunition. The ammunition, that they used to call them 155-millimeter weapons. This is a war relating to munitions, and they are running out of that ammunition, and we’re low on it.”

WATCH: Joe Biden broadcasts to the world that the U.S. is low on 155mm shells.

Does President Biden not care that our adversaries in communist China are listening?
pic.twitter.com/SxaI6jHo49

— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) July 9, 2023

The correction from the White House followed after communist China seized on Biden’s gaffe to spread anti-American propaganda on social media. The Global Times, a Chinese state-run outlet, tweeted, “People have long known about 🇺🇸’s ammo shortage via many news reports. It’s already no secret to anyone. Let’s not forget Biden only mentioned this to justify his approval of using cluster bombs that might kill more civilians in the war.”

Biden also faced criticism from within his own party, including his top presidential challenger, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy tweeted, “Biden seems to be saying we’re sending cluster bombs to Ukraine because we’re running out of other munitions. Looks like a pretext for even more military spending to me. The time has come to offer diplomatic alternatives to war + bring both sides to the negotiating table.”

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