U.S. Missile Stockpiles Depleted by Iran War, Raising Concerns Over Future Readiness – CNN
U.S. military stockpiles of key missiles have been heavily depleted during the Iran War, creating a “near-term risk” of running out of ammunition in a future conflict should one arise in the next few years, CNN reports.
Over roughly seven weeks, the U.S. is estimated to have used about 45% of its Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), at least half of its THAAD interceptors, and nearly 50% of its Patriot missiles, according to assessments.
It has also expended around 30% of its Tomahawk missiles and over 20% of several other advanced systems.
While officials say current supplies are still sufficient for ongoing operations, experts warn they may not be enough to handle a conflict with a near-peer adversary like China.
Replenishing these stockpiles could take between three to five years, despite efforts to ramp up production. Meanwhile, the Pentagon maintains it still has “everything it needs,” even as additional funding has been requested to rebuild inventories.
