New Delhi, Aug. 9 -- WASHINGTON - The United States has fewer than 1,700 Patriot interceptor missiles in its arsenal, a depletion driven largely by the Iran war that has also pulled American air defense systems away from European bases, raising quiet but urgent concerns among NATO allies about the durability of US security guarantees, the New York Times reported Friday.

The figure represents the lowest point in the country's Patriot stockpile in years. During five months of combat against Iran, the military expended more than 1,500 of the interceptors - a pace that officials say will take more than two years to reverse even with accelerated production contracts. The math alone is alarming to allies in Eastern Europe, where the proximity ...