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The United States military has used around 80 percent of its critical Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile-interceptor stockpile and about half of its Patriot missiles since the war with Iran began, CNN reported on August 4.
Citing sources familiar with the matter and a recent inventory assessment, the report said senior American commanders have privately described the stockpiles as “dangerously low,” with the previously unreported THAAD shortfall adding to existing concern about Patriot supplies.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that the U.S. military held roughly 2,200 of its most modern Patriot variants and 452 THAAD missiles before the conflict started, according to the report.
It revealed that Gulf states that depend on U.S.-supplied air defenses have warned that the shortages could weaken their capacity to intercept Iranian missiles and drones, particularly if they come under retaliatory fire following any further American strikes.
The depleted stockpiles also played a role in President Donald Trump’s decision last weekend to call off additional strikes on Iran, according to the report.
“America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CNN that the US has “more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles” to meet Trump’s goals.
The U.S. Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) stockpiles have also been heavily drawn down, while nearly half of the Tomahawk stockpile has been expended, according to CNN, which reported in April that Tomahawk usage was at close to 30 percent.
The Trump administration has already proposed a $95 billion munitions request in the fiscal year 2027 defense budget, along with an additional $21 billion in a war supplemental request.
Nevertheless, replenishment remains slow, with the Pentagon receiving about 15 new Tomahawks and 20 new Patriot missiles per month, while analysts estimated it could take three years or more to restore THAAD stockpiles to pre-war levels.
This shortage had far-reaching impacts, with Ukraine taking the brunt. The Financial Times reported on August 5 that Trump declined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s request for hundreds of additional Patriot interceptors during a meeting at the White House last week.
Sources familiar with the matter told the news outlet that Trump had justified the decision by citing limited interceptor stockpiles, adding that the missiles are currently needed to protect American facilities in the Middle East and U.S. allies in the region amid the conflict with Iran.
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