US Long-Range Missile Stockpiles Reportedly Depleted After Five Months of War with Iran
Washington:The United States has reportedly used a significant portion of its advanced long-range precision-guided missiles during the five-month conflict with Iran, raising concerns about the country’s military stockpiles.
According to a Reuters report citing three sources familiar with U.S. defense matters, the U.S. Army’s inventories of the **Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS)** and the **Precision Strike Missile (PrSM)** have been reduced to critically low levels following sustained military operations.
The sources did not disclose the exact number of missiles remaining but said the stockpiles have been depleted to a point that has raised concern within the U.S. defense establishment.
ATACMS and PrSM are among the U.S. military’s most important ground-launched precision weapons. The Precision Strike Missile is regarded as the next-generation replacement for ATACMS and is designed to engage long-range targets with greater accuracy.
Defense experts told Reuters that these weapons would play a vital role in any potential future conflict, particularly against countries such as China and Russia, which possess advanced air defense systems.
The report also stated that U.S. inventories of defensive missile systems have declined significantly. According to the **Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)**, the United States used approximately **65 percent** of its Patriot interceptor missiles between February and July, while stockpiles of THAAD ballistic missile interceptors have fallen by at least **38 percent**.
Two sources told Reuters that these figures are consistent with internal U.S. government records.
In addition, the report claimed that the U.S. Navy has expended nearly half of its global inventory of Tomahawk cruise missiles since the conflict began. These missiles are typically launched from warships and submarines to strike distant targets without putting pilots at risk.
Reuters further reported that senior officials within the Trump administration recently reviewed whether the United States could sustain military operations against Iran without dangerously reducing its weapons stockpiles.
According to the report, U.S. military officials had been warning President Donald Trump for weeks that if the conflict continued at its current pace, both offensive and defensive missile reserves could be significantly affected, potentially limiting America’s ability to respond to crises in other regions.
Responding to the Reuters report, the White House released a statement from President Donald Trump, who rejected concerns over weapons shortages. Trump said the United States possesses more weapons than any other country in the world and “more than we need.”
He also stated that American defense manufacturers are producing weapons at the fastest pace in history, with record investments being made in new factories and expanded production capacity.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also dismissed reports of missile shortages, saying the U.S. military remains the world’s most powerful force and has all the resources necessary to carry out operations anywhere in the world whenever ordered by the President.
