Reuters reported that the Army had expended “virtually all” of its Army Tactical Missile Systems and Precision Strike Missiles, citing two people familiar with the matter. The surface-to-surface weapons cost about $1 million each, according to the report.
The reported depletion has raised questions about U.S. readiness for other conflicts and the time required to rebuild advanced weapons inventories. Industry specialists told The Hill that restoring stocks to prewar levels could take several years despite rising production.
Lockheed Martin produces ATACMS, which can be launched from mobile HIMARS systems and strike targets up to 190 miles away. Each missile can carry a payload of nearly 400 pounds of explosives.
The Biden administration previously supplied ATACMS to Ukraine, enabling Kyiv to strike targets deep inside Russia. Their reported use against Iran has added pressure to an inventory already supporting overseas military operations.
Lockheed Martin also produces the Precision Strike Missile, the Army’s planned successor to ATACMS. PrSM can travel more than 300 miles and can be launched from both HIMARS and M270 systems.
Deliveries of the newer missile began in 2023, leaving the Army with a limited inventory before the conflict with Tehran. An April estimate from the Center for Strategic and International Studies placed the prewar U.S. stockpile at about 90 PrSMs.
The decline in available long-range missiles could increase reliance on crewed aircraft during any expanded strike campaign against Iran. That option would become more likely if President Donald Trump approved additional operations, according to the article.
Trump said the United States has “far more munitions than anyone in the world” and “far more than we need.” “Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels,” Trump added.
CNN separately reported that the military had used close to 80% of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptor inventory. The report also said about half of the available Patriot interceptors had been expended since the war began.
CSIS estimated that the United States held about 452 THAAD interceptors and roughly 2,200 Patriot missiles before the conflict. A later assessment placed the remaining THAAD inventory at between 234 and 278 interceptors in late July.
“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,” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told CNN. “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,” Parnell said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also rejected CNN’s description of U.S. weapons supplies as “dangerously low.” He criticized the network’s reporting in a social media post on Tuesday.
The reported burn rate has also caused concern among U.S. allies in the Gulf. Those countries rely on Patriot and THAAD systems to counter Iranian ballistic missiles and one-way attack drones.
“Diminished stockpiles may force the United States and its coalition partners to take more risks with interceptions. There are no good alternatives to Patriot and THAAD for ballistic missile defense,” CSIS said in its July 27 report.
CSIS said U.S. Navy ships equipped with Standard Missiles can also intercept ballistic threats but are generally positioned too far away. Lockheed Martin’s truck-mounted THAAD system can engage short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles inside and outside Earth’s atmosphere.
Source: The Hill.
