US Missile Stockpiles under Strain as War with Iran Accelerates – Report
The rapid use of advanced US interceptors and precision-guided weapons in the war with Iran is raising fears that critical inventories cannot be replenished fast enough.
Key Takeaways
- US officials say the military cannot sustain the rate at which it used precision-guided munitions during the early phase of operations against Iran.
- Large numbers of Patriot and THAAD interceptors have been fired, forcing the Pentagon to transfer stocks from other regions, including the Indo-Pacific.
- Some advanced missiles being expended within weeks or months could take four or five years to replace.
Rapid Depletion
The rapid depletion of advanced American air-defense interceptors and precision-guided missiles during the escalating war with Iran has become a major source of tension within the Trump administration, according to a CBS News report.
US military and intelligence officials told the network that Washington cannot sustain the rate at which it expended precision munitions during the early phase of its campaign against Iran.
The officials warned that the US defense industry is unable to manufacture missiles quickly enough to replace weapons already fired or transferred to US Central Command, which is overseeing military operations across the Middle East.
The pressure is particularly acute as Iranian missiles and drones continue to target US military installations and infrastructure in Gulf states, forcing American forces to consume large numbers of advanced defensive interceptors.
The growing demand is also raising concerns about US readiness for a potential future confrontation with China in the Indo-Pacific.
Heavy Use of Air-Defense Missiles
The most urgent concern involves the rapid use of Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, interceptors.
These systems are being used to defend US bases, troops and regional allies against Iranian ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and attack drones.
According to the report, interceptors are being consumed at a rate far exceeding the capacity of American manufacturers to replace them.
To sustain the campaign, the Pentagon has reportedly transferred interceptor stocks from other regions, including weapons that had been prepositioned for possible operations in the Indo-Pacific.
According to CBS, those transfers have left other US military commands with smaller reserves than planners consider necessary, particularly as Washington seeks to deter Chinese military action around Taiwan and reassure allies in the Pacific.
A US partner in the region told CBS News that a pause in the fighting was needed because of the intensity of Iranian attacks, particularly those targeting Kuwait and Bahrain.
Kuwaiti authorities said Iranian strikes had damaged electricity and desalination infrastructure.
Pentagon Denies Crisis
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously denied that the military was facing a munitions crisis.
“We’ve got lots of them, we’re building more than ever before,” Hegseth told CBS News in June, adding: “Our stockpiles are strong, and they will only get stronger in the future.”
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell similarly insisted that the US military retains sufficient capabilities to carry out operations across several regions.
“America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing,” Parnell claimed.
He added that the military had conducted successful operations across multiple combatant commands while maintaining “a deep arsenal of capabilities” to defend American personnel and interests.
However, officials familiar with internal assessments painted a more strained picture, saying military leaders are increasingly forced to balance the demands of the Iran campaign against the need to preserve weapons for other potential conflicts.
Shift toward Shorter-Range Weapons
US commanders have increasingly turned to weapons that are more readily available or less difficult to replace. Aircraft are now using more GPS-guided bombs fitted with Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, kits, as well as Small Diameter Bombs.
These shorter-range precision weapons can be used against fixed targets and provide an alternative to more valuable long-range missiles.
During the earlier stages of the war, American forces frequently used Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, known as JASSMs, and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Those weapons remain available, officials said, but are now being used more selectively.
Following the collapse of the ceasefire earlier this month, US attacks have also focused more heavily on targets close to Iran’s coastline.
That shift reduces the need for American aircraft to penetrate deeper into Iranian territory, where they would face denser air-defense systems and a greater threat from surface-to-air missiles.
Years to Expand Production
The problem is not limited to the number of weapons currently available.
Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, told lawmakers in April that increasing production of advanced systems such as Tomahawks and JASSMs could take years.
“I think it will take one to two years for them to scale,” Paparo said. “It won’t be soon enough. There are finite limits to the magazine, and I have all the faith in the world that they’re being employed judiciously.”
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A report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that more than 1,000 Tomahawks and approximately 1,100 JASSMs had already been used during the conflict.
Replacing those weapons could take almost four years. Stocks of THAAD, Patriot and SM-3 air-defense missiles were said to be under even greater pressure, with production timelines of up to five years.
The figures indicate that weapons being fired over a period of weeks or months may require several years to replace.
Limited Stocks of Long-Range Missiles
US officials also raised concerns over the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, which can be launched from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, commonly known as HIMARS. Inventories of ATACMS are limited, according to the report.
The Biden administration had previously delayed transferring the missiles to Ukraine because of concerns that doing so would weaken American military readiness.
The US has larger stocks of shorter-range Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System munitions, also fired from HIMARS, giving commanders more options against targets located within their range.
Nevertheless, the heavy use of advanced weapons in the Middle East is reviving broader questions about whether the US military has enough munitions to fight or deter major adversaries in more than one region.
Iran or China
The report highlighted a strategic dilemma that American defense officials have warned about for years.
“A missile used in Europe can’t be used in Asia,” Elbridge Colby, now the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy, wrote in 2022 while discussing US arms transfers to Ukraine.
Colby later argued that weapons capable of defeating a Chinese attack along the first island chain should be preserved for a potential Indo-Pacific conflict. That chain stretches from Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines.
Many of the same weapons now being consumed or transferred to the Middle East would also be critical in a confrontation with China.
The Iran campaign has therefore forced Washington to choose between immediate operational demands and maintaining the long-term ability to deter or fight another major power.
The central problem, according to the report, is not simply the financial cost of the weapons being used. It is the time required to replace them.
Missiles and interceptors fired within a matter of weeks could take years to rebuild, leaving US inventories under growing pressure as the war continues.
(PC, CBS News)