Conflict with Iran has caused a sharp decline in the US missile arsenal.
The protracted conflict with Iran is posing a serious challenge to Washington's military as US missile reserves are rapidly dwindling. Internal reports indicate that the shortage of anti-aircraft ammunition could directly impact the Pentagon's strategic decisions in the near future.
According to RIA NovostiAccording to CNN, the US armed forces have depleted nearly 80% of their interceptor missiles, part of a key defense system. This depletion has occurred primarily amid escalating conflict with Iran. Senior US military leaders have repeatedly issued urgent warnings, asserting that US missile reserves are at dangerously low levels.
The latest statistics also reflect a similar picture regarding the arsenal. Since the outbreak of hostilities, the US military has used approximately 80% of the anti-aircraft ammunition intended for the THAAD system. At the same time, the amount of ammunition for the Patriot air defense system has also decreased by almost half compared to peacetime. This situation is forcing defense officials to reassess their global arms allocation strategy.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) reported that during the direct confrontation period from February 27 to July 27, the US military fired between 1,500 and 1,600 Patriot missiles. Air defense forces also launched approximately 200 THAAD interceptor missiles to protect key targets.
This high level of deployment has significantly impacted the size of strategic weapons stockpiles. Patriot missile stockpiles have drastically decreased from 2,300 missiles to only between 760 and 830. Similarly, THAAD stockpiles have shrunk from 452 to between 234 and 278 missiles. These figures clearly demonstrate the actual shortfall in Washington's defensive capabilities against potential threats.
In late July, the Associated Press reported that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Cain, had directly briefed President Donald Trump on the situation. He emphasized that the current state of ammunition stockpiles was severely limiting Washington's next military options against Tehran.
Despite reports from the American media, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has completely denied any arms crisis. Responding to the figures published by the press, Hegseth wrote on social media on August 4th that the headlines were completely false.
Earlier that day, the media quoted anonymous sources about the unease among military commanders. These sources claimed that the main reason for the depletion of military equipment was the confrontation with Iran. However, President Trump had previously denied similar claims, stating that the shortage of anti-aircraft ammunition was the reason the White House refused to resume full-scale combat operations against Iran.
