The United States has used a large share of its precision long-range missiles during its five-month military campaign against Iran, reported Reuters citing people familiar with the matter. It has raised concerns inside the US government about whether the country has enough weapons to respond to future conflicts.
The biggest concern involves the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the newer Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), two of the US Army’s most important long-range surface-to-surface weapons. Two of the sources told Reuters that the military has used “virtually all” of these missiles during the conflict.
Internal discussions within the Trump administration have focused on whether continued military operations against Iran could deplete supplies to such an extent that it could affect America’s ability to respond to other crises around the world, reported Reuters citing sources.
President Donald Trump launched military operations against Iran alongside Israel in February. The war has continued for months, putting strain on US military resources.
A fourth person familiar with the matter told Reuters that US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, has nearly exhausted the land-based missiles it had before the conflict began. The command has since replenished supplies by drawing weapons from US military stockpiles located elsewhere in the world.
However, the White House rejected concerns over overall weapons availability. “Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels,” Trump said in a statement provided to Reuters.
He also said the United States possesses “far more munitions than anyone in the world” and “far more than we need.”
The Pentagon also defended the military’s preparedness. Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the US military remains fully capable of carrying out any mission ordered by the president and continues to maintain a strong arsenal to protect American interests around the world, as reported by Reuters.
Importance of these missiles
ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles allow US forces to strike targets hundreds of kilometres away without sending fighter aircraft into heavily defended airspace. Military experts say those capabilities become especially valuable during conflicts against countries with advanced air defence systems such as China, reported Reuters.
ATACMS has also played an important role in Ukraine, where US-supplied missiles have enabled Ukrainian forces to attack military targets inside Russia, reported Reuters.
PrSM represents the next generation of long-range precision weapons and is expected to replace ATACMS over time. Although the newer missile offers greater capability, analysts say stockpiles remain relatively small because production only began recently, as per Reuters report.
One reason the US relied heavily on these missiles was to reduce the need for riskier operations involving manned aircraft flying into hostile territory.
An earlier study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said the US Army has already ordered a significant number of Precision Strike Missiles for delivery in 2027 as it shifts away from ATACMS production, reported Reuters.
Analysts say that each of these missiles costs more than $1 million, making them expensive weapons to replace quickly even as production expands, reported Reuters.
Are other US weapon stockpiles also shrinking?
Concerns extend beyond long-range strike missiles, reported Reuters. Military leaders have reportedly warned President Trump for several weeks that stocks of defensive weapons, particularly Patriot missile interceptors, have also fallen sharply during the conflict.
Patriot systems and THAAD interceptors protect against incoming ballistic missiles and are regarded as some of the most advanced missile defence systems in the US arsenal.
According to a recent CSIS assessment cited by Reuters, the United States used about 65% of its Patriot interceptors between February and July. The report also estimated that THAAD interceptor inventories had fallen by at least 38% compared with levels at the start of the war.
Two people familiar with internal government figures told Reuters those estimates broadly match classified US data.The US has consumed slightly less than half of its global stockpile of Tomahawk cruise missiles since the conflict began, reported Reuters.
Tomahawk missiles are launched mainly from Navy destroyers, cruisers and submarines. They have long served as one of the military’s primary weapons for striking heavily defended targets without risking pilots.
Raytheon, which manufactures Tomahawk missiles, has reached a tentative multi-year agreement with the Pentagon to increase production as Washington works to rebuild depleted inventories, reported Reuters.