Iran War Exposes US Munition Gaps as China and Russia Concerns Loom; Pentagon Awards Raytheon Missile Con

The U.S. military campaign against Iran has revealed a deeper concern about America’s defense industrial base.

The largest defense spender in the world is managing a more than five-month military campaign with dwindling supplies of missiles and interceptors. Senior military commanders have warned that the Pentagon’s munitions stockpile is "dangerously low," CNN reported, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter.

The Department of Defense has exhausted nearly 80% of its interceptors for a key missile-defense system since February 28. That was when the Americans and Israelis launched their strikes to set back the Iranian nuclear weapons program.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has estimated the U.S. had around 2,330 Patriots and 452 THAAD missiles in its stockpile before the Iran war started. Stockpiles have dropped to 759–827 for Patriots and 234–278 for THAAD, according to CSIS.

The White House has pushed back on concerns about depleted inventories.