The US military burned through a large share of its key missile stockpiles during the war with Iran, raising concerns about readiness for another conflict, according to analysts and sources familiar with Pentagon assessments.
In just seven weeks, US forces used at least 45% of their Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), Lockheed Martin-produced ballistic missiles made to replace ATACMS, according to an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank.
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At least half of THAAD interceptors and nearly 50% of Patriot air defense missiles were also expended, figures that align with classified Pentagon data, sources told CNN.
Other advanced munitions were also affected: about 30% of Tomahawk cruise missiles, more than 20% of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, and roughly 20% of SM-3 and SM-6 interceptors.
Analysts warn the drawdown creates a “near-term risk” if the US faces another major war soon. Current stockpiles may be enough to continue fighting Iran, but are “no longer sufficient to confront a near-peer adversary, like China,” the CSIS report says.
“The high munitions expenditures have created a window of increased vulnerability in the western Pacific,” said Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine Corps colonel and one of the report’s authors.
“It will take one to four years to replenish these inventories and several years after that to expand them to where they need to be.”
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