Fears in the Pentagon: Rapid Consumption of Advanced US Munitions in the War on Iran

SadaNews - Estimates within the US Department of Defense indicate that the US military is rapidly consuming its stockpiles of precision munitions and advanced air defense systems, less than a week after the start of the war on Iran, raising concerns within the military establishment about declining readiness if operations continue at the current pace. The Trump administration is planning to hold an emergency meeting with representatives from major US defense and military production companies at the White House next Friday to discuss increasing production and replenishing the stockpiles consumed due to the war on Iran, according to CNN. According to a report published by the Washington Post, citing three people familiar with internal assessments, the pace of advanced interceptor missile usage could put the US military just "days away" from having to prioritize targets for interception. The intensity of operations is prompting US military leaders to perform careful calculations regarding how long Iran can continue to launch munitions compared to the stockpile of the United States, at a time when US President Donald Trump said the war might last four to five weeks. During a press conference at the Pentagon, high-ranking military leaders attempted to "calm fears" regarding military stock depletion. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Keen, stated that the military possesses "sufficient precision munitions for the current mission, both for attack and defense," without providing figures or details. Keen added that the United States will increasingly rely on a larger stockpile of less advanced weapons as Iranian defense capabilities decline, which will allow US forces to approach their targets more closely and conduct strikes using lower-cost munitions. In contrast, Iran has launched thousands of attacking drones and hundreds of missiles targeting US bases and interests in the region, including Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman. The US embassies in Riyadh and Kuwait were also attacked by Iranian drones. According to sources familiar with Pentagon assessments, the US military has so far used hundreds of its most advanced munitions, including "Patriot" and "THAAD" interceptor missiles, as well as "Tomahawk" missiles that were used to target missile sites and Iranian military leaders. In a social media post, Trump claimed that the United States' stockpiles of "medium and above medium" munitions are almost "unlimited" and can support military operations for an extended period. However, he noted that the stockpile of more advanced weapons is still "good but not at the level we want." Military analysts believe that Iran possessed more than 2,000 ballistic missiles and large numbers of drones before the outbreak of war, and it is attempting to use this arsenal more efficiently after lessons learned from the war waged by Israel last June. Analysts say Iran is using low-cost drones to target positions in Gulf countries and strain air defense systems, while the ballistic missiles focus on striking Israel. In this context, Behnam Ben Taleblu, a researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, stated that Iran is launching smaller batches of missiles to conserve its stock while simultaneously testing and exhausting Israeli air defenses. He added that Tehran is more aware of what he described as "missile calculations" than ever and is seeking to force Israel to consume its limited stock of interceptor missiles in defending smaller areas. In contrast, American analysts believe that this data reinforces the need to conduct a large operation aimed at destroying Iranian missile stockpiles and the associated infrastructure. According to US officials, the pace of advanced munitions usage has slowed slightly since the first day of the war after the United States and Israel were able to achieve air superiority that allows fighter jets to approach targets more closely and use lower-cost munitions. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the Pentagon will increasingly rely on heavy GPS-guided bombs, emphasizing that the United States possesses a "virtually unlimited stock." He added, "Iran cannot outlast us." Estimates suggest that US munitions stockpiles have also been affected by years of high military spending and military support for other countries like Israel and Ukraine, in addition to the frequent use of military force by the US administration in various operations. During the first year of his second term, Trump conducted military operations in seven countries, including Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, Somalia, and Nigeria, along with dozens of strikes against what he claims are "drug trafficking networks" in Latin America. US officials also warned that prolonged war could affect the US's ability to deter China, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. Some officials noted that any long war in the Middle East might force Washington to draw munitions from its stockpiles allocated for the Asian region. Members of Congress anticipate that the Department of Defense will need additional funding in the billions of dollars to replenish the munitions being consumed in the ongoing war against Iran, with the amount of required funding to be determined according to the duration of military operations.