The US military’s weapons stockpiles, including its inventory of crucial air defense missiles, remain severely depleted following a major flare up of the war with Iran in recent weeks, according to three sources familiar with recent Pentagon data and a new report by outside analysts.
A substantive settlement to end the conflict remains elusive, and the shortage of the missiles could impact the US’ ability to engage on other fronts.
In a Monday report, researchers from the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank estimated that fewer than 827 Patriot interceptors remain in US stockpiles, and fewer than 278 THAAD ballistic missile interceptors are left. The three sources familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to discuss the US stockpile, told CNN that the CSIS estimates were close to internal government figures.
The figures represent a significant depletion of the pre-war stockpile, which CSIS estimated numbered around 2,200 Patriots (of the platform’s two most-modernized variants) and 452 THAAD missiles. The systems are the US military’s primary means of taking down incoming enemy ballistic missiles, and each interceptor missile costs millions of dollars.
“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. Navy ships, with Standard Missiles that can intercept such threats, generally are too far away,” the authors of the CSIS report wrote.
