Chair of joint chiefs of staff and others say US depleting supply, even as Trump administration claims otherwise
Top military officials told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing on Tuesday that the United States was rapidly depleting its supply of defensive missile interceptors to shoot down Iranian attack drones, even as the Trump administration has publicly dismissed those concerns.
The officials, including the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, Gen Dan Caine, said Iran had been deploying its drones in a way designed to force the US to use its sophisticated Patriot and Thaad interceptors while holding its own high-tech supersonic and ballistic missiles in reserve.
As a result, officials said, the US is racing to destroy as many of Iran’s drone and missile launch sites as quickly as possible – before it has to begin prioritizing which incoming targets to intercept, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details.
A spokesperson for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the joint chiefs of staff declined to comment due to operations security.
