Patriot Missile System “Most Escalatory Action to Date”

With the news of the U.S. is set to approve the Patriot missile defense system, two of our Syracuse University faculty experts shared their thoughts.

Army veteran Sean McFate, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and an adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, writes:

Sean McFate

• “Patriot are not Javelins. This is a major step up in U.S. commitment. Traditionally the U.S. sends Patriot missiles as a strong diplomatic signal of escalation to foes: to Poland against Russia, to Taiwan against China, to Israel against Iran.
• The Patriots will provoke a Russian reaction. It will be diplomatic, but it’s the U.S.’s most escalatory action to date.
• Patriot missile systems are very sophisticated technology, and take months to learn, not weeks – we are unsure of a date they will be used.
• The Ukraine war will likely grind on for years, not months. Those who expect a resolution in 2023 are ‘blue-skying’ it, which is dangerous.”

Robert Murrett

Retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Robert Murrett, deputy director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law and professor of practice at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, writes:

“Reports that the United States will be providing Patriot missile system(s) to Ukraine are a welcome and necessary step in response to Russia’s increasingly diverse air attacks.  The Patriots will have particular effectiveness against higher-end missile threats, such as current or projected cruise and ballistic missiles that Russia has or could import from Iran.  These air defense systems will also address gaps in Ukrainian integrated air defense capabilities, as they contend with a wide range rudimentary to sophisticated air-to-ground weapons from the Russian military.”

If you are interested in speaking with these professors, please reach out to Vanessa Marquette at vrmarque@syr.edu.