Is the US Running Out of Missiles? What We Know

The U.S. Army has depleted its supplies of two advanced, long-range missiles, according to a recent report, following mounting concerns about the impact of the five-month conflict with Iran on America's arsenal of hard-to-replace weapons and its capacity to engage in further military actions. Reuters cited two anonymous sources, stating that the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) are the two types of sophisticated long-range weapons that the U.S. has used up almost entirely.

Both missiles enable U.S. forces to accurately strike targets in Iran from hundreds of kilometers away, allowing American soldiers to stay at a safe distance from the impact zones and minimizing the necessity for vulnerable aircraft to conduct aerial attacks. The war's onset on February 28 prompted U.S. officials to worry about the rapid consumption of the most expensive munitions - both for targeting Iranian objectives and countering Tehran's retaliatory drone and missile strikes, which targeted over a dozen nations across the region.

During the first 16 days of the war, the U.S., Israel, and other allies used nearly 11,300 munitions, costing approximately $26 billion. Although military stockpiles are classified, the U.S. was only a month away from completely exhausting its ATACMS and PrSM reserves, as well as its interceptor missiles for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

THAAD is among the few systems capable of intercepting Iranian ballistic missiles. The ramifications of depleted offensive and defensive stockpiles are already evident beyond the Middle East. Experts and observers contend that depleted supplies might affect the U.S. military's performance in conflicts against China or Russia, and that Ukraine has complained about its reliance on air defense interceptors to neutralize Russian missiles over Ukrainian cities, which have been redirected.

Despite escalating military expenditures and the emergence of new or expanded factories worldwide, air defense missiles and top-tier weapons still have lengthy lead times, potentially resulting in a delay of several years before their replacement. When asked for comment on Tuesday, the White House echoed Trump's statement that the U.S. possesses far more munitions than any other nation and more than is required.

On Thursday, Trump dismissed the reports as "false and completely unfounded rumors" and commended Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, stating he was "extremely happy" with his performance and asserting that U.S. defense manufacturers were producing weapons at record levels. White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly affirmed that the U.S. had more than sufficient munitions and ammunition.

However, defense companies were urged to continuously produce more weapons made in America. Despite lacking a deal with Tehran, questions remain about how long the U.S. can continue bombing Iran before exhausting its most effective weapons. When reached for comment, the Pentagon's chief spokesperson, Sean Parnell, assured that the military maintains a substantial arsenal of capabilities to safeguard its people and interests after conducting operations worldwide.

The U.S. military, according to Parnell, is the most powerful in the world and has everything necessary to execute operations at the president's discretion. ATACMS and PrSM are ground-launched ballistic missiles, both manufactured by U.S. defense firm Lockheed Martin. PrSMs are being phased in as the successor to ATACMS, with batches already sent to Ukraine for use against Russian forces.

A version capable of striking targets over 1,000 kilometers away is in development. CENTCOM, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, confirmed the use of the PrSM for the first time in combat as part of its attacks on Iran. Concerns have been expressed over dwindling stocks of interceptor missiles, which are fired from ground-based air defense systems and can neutralize some of the most advanced threats, such as fast-moving ballistic missiles.

Three U.S. soldiers were killed in Jordan in July during an Iranian attack on U.S. military sites, as a ballistic missile was not intercepted in time. This marked the end of a week-long series of tit-for-tat strikes between the U.S. and Iran following the dissolution of a June ceasefire. Trump announced a pause in attacks on Iran at the weekend in hopes of negotiations, but he has repeatedly claimed that the U.S. is near a deal before resuming military operations against Tehran.

Trump avoided a major, two-week strike campaign on Iran in late July due to concerns about munitions stocks, according to The Wall Street Journal. General Dan Caine, the U.S.'s top soldier, reportedly privately advised that while a major strike campaign against Iran is within U.S. capabilities, any retaliation from Iran could severely impact stocks of air defense interceptors used by U.S. forces in the region.