Rapid pace of interceptor and precision-guided weapons use worries Trump administration

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Updated on: July 23, 2026 / 6:03 PM EDT

/ CBS News

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Washington — The rapid pace at which the U.S. is expending some of its most advanced air-defense interceptors and precision-guided weapons in the Middle East is a point of great tension inside the Trump administration as President Trump's war with Iran ratchets up again, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials familiar with internal assessments. And it's raising broader concerns about America's readiness for a potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific. The dwindling stockpiles of defensive interceptors and long-range missiles have become a pressure point for top military and civilian leaders who are weighing the demands of the war with Iran against maintaining readiness to deter other adversaries, including China. The U.S. officials, who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the topic, said the U.S. cannot sustain the rate at which it expended precision munitions early in the campaign against Iran.The defense industrial base is not equipped to produce missiles rapidly enough to replenish munitions that have been fired or transferred to U.S. Central Command, which is overseeing the conflict, leaving inventories under mounting pressure even as military operations continue. Interceptors are in heavy use to defend U.S. interests in the Gulf states, which house U.S. troops and are being targeted by Iranian drones and missiles.One partner country told CBS News there is a need for a pause in fighting, particularly given the intensity of Iranian strikes that have been battering Kuwait and Bahrain. Kuwait said earlier this week that Iran struck its infrastructure, damaging electricity and desalination plants. In an interview last month with "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that there was any crisis with the stockpiles. He conceded that some munitions may take more time to produce than others, but he told Brennan, "We've got lots of them, we're building more than ever before."