{"id":8506,"date":"2026-08-04T20:05:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=8506"},"modified":"2026-08-04T20:05:39","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T20:05:39","slug":"us-military-has-used-up-nearly-80-of-key-missile-interceptors-as-commanders-warn-stockpiles-dangerously-low-sources-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=8506","title":{"rendered":"US military has used up nearly 80% of key missile interceptors as commanders warn stockpiles \u2018dangerously low,\u2019 sources say"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n The US military has exhausted nearly 80% of its interceptors for a key missile defense system as senior US military commanders are warning that the Pentagon\u2019s munitions stockpile is \u201cdangerously low,\u201d according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.\n <\/p>

Read more Allegations against several GOP congressmen highlight the party\u2019s quandary<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Stockpiles of key air defense systems have been particularly depleted during the war with Iran. The US military has burned through nearly four-fifths of its THAAD missile inventory compared to pre-war numbers and roughly half of its Patriot interceptors since the start of the war, according to two sources familiar with the latest inventory report. The disclosure of the low THAAD inventory has not been previously reported.\n <\/p>\n

\n The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates the United States had around 2,200 Patriots (of the platform\u2019s two most-modernized variants) and 452 THAAD missiles in its stockpile before the Iran war started.\n <\/p>\n

\n Gulf countries have also raised fresh concerns about how a shortage of air defense systems could impact their ability to ward off potential Iranian retaliation if President Donald Trump decides to escalate the ongoing conflict.\n <\/p>\n

\n Several of those countries rely on US air defense systems and have acknowledged the stockpile shortage could hinder their own ability to intercept incoming Iranian missile and drone attacks \u2013 particularly if they are targeted in response to any American escalation, multiple officials said.\n <\/p>\n

\n The stockpile issue was raised again prior to the president\u2019s decision last weekend to cancel new strikes on Iran, marking at least the second time in recent weeks that Trump\u2019s senior military advisers have specifically voiced concerns about the dwindling number of key US munitions during discussions about potentially escalating the conflict with Iran.\n <\/p>\n

\n The US Army has also used \u201cvirtually all\u201d of its highly accurate long-range, surface-to-air weapons during the conflict, according to the source familiar with recent internal Pentagon reports. Reuters first reported the specific concerns about US stockpiles of long-range strategic missiles.\n <\/p>\n

\n Weekend strikes called off\n<\/h2>\n

\n The recent warnings about munitions shortages \u2014 coupled with other intelligence presented to Trump about the potential negative effects of striking Iran\u2019s critical infrastructure, including energy-related targets, and concerns voiced by Gulf countries \u2014 have been compelling enough to convince some of Trump\u2019s most hawkish advisers there were was reason to call off planned operations over the weekend, the sources said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump on Friday was planning to move forward with massive strikes, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth received the final \u201cgo ahead\u201d order on Friday, according to a senior Trump official.\n <\/p>\n

\n But Trump decided to back off after talking with Middle East allies on Saturday, who told him they were afraid of Iranian retaliation, specifically retaliatory attacks on their energy infrastructure, according to the official. Trump agreed to hear them, and Iran, out. He subsequently told Hegseth to stand down, for now, but is not taking the planned strikes off the table for a future date.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cAmerica\u2019s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President\u2019s choosing,\u201d Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement to CNN.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests,\u201d he added.\n <\/p>\n

\n White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CNN that the US military \u201chas more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump\u2019s strategic goals and beyond.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cOperation Epic Fury has exposed what happens when you mess with the United States. Even still, the President has urged our defense contractors to constantly produce more made-in-America weapons, which are the best in the world,\u201d Kelly added.\n <\/p>\n

\n Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine similarly raised the stockpile issue during another White House meeting late last month where military options for escalating the conflict were discussed, CNN previously reported. The potential for massive civilian casualties inside Iran if the US resumed major combat operations was also raised, another person familiar with the matter said.\n <\/p>

Read more GOP leaders privately push embattled Rep. Chuck Edwards to abandon reelection bid<\/a><\/p>\n

\n But the persistent concerns about stockpile estimates provided to CNN underline the seriousness of the shortages and call into question the US\u2019 ability to carry out strikes against Iran for an extended period.\n <\/p>\n

\n The stockpile shortage could also impact the American military\u2019s ability to fight a potential future war with China, Russia or even North Korea, experts have told CNN.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u2018Tit-for-tat will never end this.\u2019\n<\/h2>\n

\n \u201cThe lack of interceptors means that conventional attacks can backfire if the suicide drones start making it through in-masse,\u201d one of the sources familiar with the stockpile concerns said. \u201cTit-for-tat will never end this.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The long-range missiles that have been primarily used up during the war with Iran are known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), the sources noted.\n <\/p>\n

\n The US\u2019 stockpile of Tomahawk missiles also remains significantly depleted, as close to half of those weapons have been used during the war, one of the sources said.\n <\/p>\n

\n CNN reported in April that the US military had used nearly 30% of its Tomahawks during the early stages of the war.\n <\/p>\n

\n On Monday, Trump called Iranian leadership \u201cunbelievably duplicitous\u201d on social media after Tehran contradicted his claim that negotiations would resume.\n <\/p>\n

\n He later insisted that this is Iran\u2019s \u201clast chance\u201d to sign a deal, but he also said he has no time constraints on negotiations because he\u2019s not seeking reelection.\n <\/p>\n

\n The early phase of the Iran conflict, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, saw the US military expend thousands of key missiles used for long-range precision strikes and to defend against enemy air and missile attacks, according to analysts and previous CNN reporting.\n <\/p>\n

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\"US<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n
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\nUS Air Force aerial porters prepare to load Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) support equipment onto a C-17 Globemaster III in October 2024.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n
Senior Airman Zeeshan Naeem\/United States Air Forces Central<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n Replenishment rates are low for key missiles, analysts tell CNN \u2014 according to current fiscal year delivery schedules, the Pentagon is receiving roughly 15 new Tomahawks and 20 new Patriot missiles per month. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated it would take three or more years to rebuild THAAD inventories to pre-Iran war levels.\n <\/p>\n

\n The Defense Department has accelerated its efforts to expand interceptor missile production in recent months, including two deals inked this week to boost Patriot and THAAD rocket motor manufacturing, but a spokesperson declined to answer questions about when the expansion will lead to results.\n <\/p>\n

\n Analysts say it could take years to fully replenish the US stockpile of high-end munitions, like Patriot missiles, due to the lead time for producing those weapons.\n <\/p>\n

\n Other missile inventories, such as those for the Precision Strike Missile and the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile, will be quicker to rebound and should reach their pre-war level by mid-to-late 2027, according to analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.\n <\/p>

Read more Rep. Max Miller\u2019s attorney apologizes for releasing \u2018sensitive\u2019 image of child in documents shared by congressman<\/a><\/p>\n

\nCNN\u2019s Davis Winkie contributed reporting.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The US military has exhausted nearly 80% of its interceptors for a key missile defense system as senior US military commanders are warning that the Pentagon\u2019s munitions stockpile is \u201cdangerously low,\u201d according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8506","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nUS military has used up nearly 80% of key missile interceptors as commanders warn stockpiles \u2018dangerously low,\u2019 sources say - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=8506\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US military has used up nearly 80% of key missile interceptors as commanders warn stockpiles \u2018dangerously low,\u2019 sources say - 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