The military’s supply of its premium long-range missiles and interceptors for key missile defense systems is nearly exhausted after more than five months of airstrikes against Iran, recent news reports revealed, constraining Trump in authorizing major combat operations against the Islamic Republic.
Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta characterized the shortage of munition stockpiles as “poor planning” by the Pentagon at a time when not only is there is a real chance of renewed attacks against Iran if diplomatic talks fail, but also when there are potential threats from Russia and China — particularly should Beijing decide to invade Taiwan.
“So, this is a dangerous moment for the United States to have these reduced stockpiles of key weapons at a time when these threats are all real,” Panetta, who was also the CIA director under former President Obama, said Friday on CNN.
The U.S. Army has reportedly used up “virtually all” of its surface-to-surface munitions, known as army tactical missile systems (ATACMS) and precision strike missiles (PrSM), highlighting worries about the U.S.’s readiness to wage warfare if more conflicts emerge in other parts of the world.
If Trump were to greenlight an expanded airstrike campaign against Iran, the dwindling quantity of these munitions could force the U.S. military to lean more on piloted bombing missions.
Additionally, the U.S. has reportedly expended nearly 80 percent of its terminal high altitude area defense (THAAD) missile arsenal and about 50 percent of its Patriot interceptors since the Iran war started.
The Pentagon had around 2,200 Patriot missiles and about 450 THAAD missiles before the Iran conflict. As of late July, U.S. forces were left with between 234 and 278 THAADs, a recent CSIS report said.
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have vigorously defended the quantity of the U.S. weapons stockpiles, and the president warned that those leaking sensitive information regarding the number of munitions are “being hunted down.”
Read the full report at thehill.com.
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