The US-Iran war puts significant pressure on Washington's missile arsenal.
Many U.S. lawmakers are beginning to question the country's dwindling ammunition reserves, while Iran continues to exert significant pressure.
According to AFP, Iranian forces have been continuously attacking the Middle East with missiles and drones. This situation has been ongoing since the ceasefire between the two countries collapsed. As a result, the US is increasingly concerned about the supply of interceptor weapons. A prime example of this is the US military's announcement that it shot down several ballistic missiles launched by Tehran. This was a surprise attack attempt by Iran, following a bloody airstrike targeting US troops in Jordan.
Many lawmakers began questioning the United States' ammunition reserves. This skepticism emerged early in the war. Senator Chris Van Hollen stated on ABC that the U.S. was running out of interceptor missiles, emphasizing that these were core weapons for protecting American soldiers. The Democratic senator warned that the weapons were dwindling daily, posing a significant risk in the event of further conflicts.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has previously dismissed concerns about weapons supplies. The U.S. military has yet to release details on its current stockpile of interceptor missiles. However, U.S. media outlets have quoted General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as expressing concern about the potential decline in these reserves.
When asked about the issue, President Donald Trump said that the ammunition stockpile was sufficient. However, he asserted that the government wanted to increase the quantity. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump stated that the U.S. possesses a wide variety of ammunition. Nevertheless, for some advanced weapons systems, the administration certainly wants to acquire more. President Trump also targeted his predecessor, Joe Biden, claiming that the Democratic president had transferred too many weapons to Ukraine, a decision intended to help Kyiv defend itself against Russian airstrikes.
In fact, the military campaign against Iran has drastically reduced the US arms supply. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published an analysis this week showing a significant drop in Patriot and THAAD air defense missile systems. Before the conflict, the US had over 2,300 Patriot missiles and over 450 THAAD missiles. CSIS estimates these numbers have been reduced by about half after five months of fighting.
The CSIS organization assessed that the air defense campaign was largely successful. The interception rate was high, although not perfect. However, this achievement required the use of a very large number of interceptor missiles.
