The U.S. paused deliveries of weapons, like these 155 mm M795 artillery projectiles, to Ukraine. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
However, Parnell wrote on X that it was "flat out wrong" to suggest Colby caught other administration officials off-guard with the aid pause. Colby "routinely provides policy recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and the President," but they have the ultimate say, he said.
A White House official confirmed to Fox News Digital they were "aware of the pause ahead of time."
"The President and top officials expect the DOD to regularly review aid allocations to ensure they are in line with the America First agenda," the official said.
Colby has long advocated for limiting resources in Europe and the Middle East in case they're needed in a war over Taiwan.
"What I have been trying to shoot a signal flare over is that it is vital for us to focus and enable our own forces for an effective and reasonable defense of Taiwan and for the Taiwanese, as well as the Japanese, to do more," Colby said during his confirmation hearing.
"A Europe first policy is not what America needs in this exceptionally dangerous time. We need to focus on China and Asia - clearly," he wrote on X. last year.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger claimed Elbridge Colby had "blood on his hands" for pausing aid to Ukraine. (REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy)
Dan Caldwell, a former Pentagon official who worked with Colby on policy, defended his past colleague on X. "The incentives at DoD favor maintaining the status quo: Keep troops in Syria, keep sending weapons to Ukraine that we need for our defense, etc. That is why when patriots like @ElbridgeColby put the interests of their own country and own troops first, they are viciously smeared."
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Six months into President Donald Trump’s second term, U.S. military prowess has largely focused back on the Middle East: an offensive campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, hitting Iran’s nuclear sites and boosting defenses in the region.
Air Force Gen. Daniel Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said defending the Al-Udeid base from an Iranian counterattack was the largest Patriot missile salvo in history.
Fox News' Jen Griffin contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/colbys-china-focused-pentagon-playbook-sparks-ukraine-arms-freeze