The U.S. military has significantly depleted key missile stockpiles during its recent seven-week conflict with Iran, prompting concern among defense analysts about America's ability to respond to future high-end wars.
A new analysis by the Center for Strategic & International Studies found the U.S. has used large portions of its most advanced munitions, including roughly 45% of its precision strike missiles, about half of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors, and nearly 50% of its Patriot air defense systems.
The report also estimates that about 30% of Tomahawk cruise missiles and more than 20% of several other advanced weapons were expended during the fighting, which involved sustained strikes and defensive operations against Iranian missiles and drones.
The heavy usage reflects the intensity of the conflict, which saw the U.S. fire thousands of munitions in the opening weeks alone and conduct one of the largest missile campaigns in modern military history.
Experts warn that replenishing these stockpiles will take years, even as the Pentagon has begun expanding production through new contracts and increased funding requests.
"The high munitions expenditures have created a window of increased vulnerability in the western Pacific," Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and one of the report's authors, told CNN.
"It will take one to four years to replenish these inventories and several years after that to expand them to where they need to be," he added.
Analysts say the U.S. likely retains enough weapons to continue operations against Iran if a fragile ceasefire collapses, but the situation raises broader concerns about preparedness for a potential conflict with a near-peer adversary such as China.
A CSIS assessment concluded that while the United States can sustain operations in the current conflict, "the risk — which will persist for many years — lies in future wars," particularly against major military powers.
The strain on missile inventories comes as Iran continues to maintain a substantial arsenal despite sustained U.S. and Israeli strikes.
U.S. intelligence assessments indicate Tehran still possesses thousands of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones — many of them dispersed or stored underground — allowing Iran to retain retaliatory capabilities even after weeks of bombardment.
Pentagon officials have pushed back on concerns about readiness.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the military "has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the president's choosing."
"Since President [Donald] Trump took office, we 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," he said.
Trump has also downplayed concerns about shortages.
"Munitions in particular, at the high end, we have a lot, but we're preserving it," Trump said, adding that increased defense spending is "a small price to pay to make sure that we stay tippy-top."
The Pentagon is now seeking tens of billions of dollars in additional funding to expand production of key systems, including Patriot and THAAD interceptors, as well as next-generation strike missiles, reflecting lessons learned from the conflict.
Defense experts say the war has underscored a broader challenge for the United States and its allies: Modern conflicts can consume advanced munitions faster than they can be replaced, placing new emphasis on industrial capacity as a cornerstone of military power.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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