NOW PLAYING
The U.S. military’s supply of its premier long-range missiles and interceptors for a key missile defense system are nearly exhausted after over five months of airstrikes against Iran, underscoring worries about U.S. preparedness to fight other conflicts that may emerge around the world, news outlets reported on Tuesday.
The Army has expended “virtually all” of the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM), surface-to-surface munitions which cost $1 million each, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
ATACMS, which are made by Lockheed Martin, can be fired from HIMARS mobile launchers and hit targets up to 190 miles away, carrying a payload of nearly 400 pounds of explosives.
The U.S. has supplied ATACMS to Ukraine during the Biden administration, allowing Kyiv to strike targets deep inside Russia.
PrSM, which is also produced by Lockheed Martin, is the next-generation long-range missile with a range of over 300 miles and can be fired from both MLRS M270 and HIMARS launchers. It was designed to replace the ATACMS.
Due to it being a newer munition, with deliveries starting in 2023, PrSM inventory was limited even before the conflict with Tehran. A Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) report from April estimated that the U.S. military had around 90 PrSM’s before the war.
The dwindling quantity of these munitions could mean the U.S. military might need to lean on piloted bombing efforts if President Trump greenlights an expanded airstrike campaign against Iran.
The president said the U.S. has “far more munitions than anyone in the world” and “far more than we need,” in a statement the White House provided to Reuters.
“Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels,” Trump added.
Industry experts have told The Hill that despite defense companies ramping up production of premium munitions, including missiles, the U.S. will take at least a few years to replenish its stockpile to mimic pre-Iran war levels.
Additionally, the U.S. military has used up close to 80 percent of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile inventory and about half of its Patriot interceptors since the war with Iran started, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing two people familiar with the matter.
Before the war, the U.S. military had about 452 THAAD missiles in its arsenal and around 2,200 Patriot missiles, according to CSIS.
“America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing,” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told CNN.
“We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests,” Parnell said.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back on CNN’s reporting, blasting the chyron the network displayed calling weapons supplies “dangerously low.”
“That banner is NOT TRUE, @CNN. Shame on you,” Hegseth said Tuesday on social media. “We don’t hate the Fake News media enough.”
U.S. allies in the Gulf have voiced concerns over the state of the stockpile of air defense systems the nations rely on to shoot down Iranian missiles and one-way attack drones.
The U.S. had just over 450 THAADs before the Iran war started and was left with between 234 and 278 as of late July, a recent estimate from CSIS said.
“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,” CSIS said in its July 27 report, adding that U.S. Navy ships “with Standard Missiles that can intercept such threats, generally are too far away.”
THAAD interceptors, which are produced by Lockheed Martin, are truck-mounted launchers that can shoot down short, medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, along with intercepting targets inside and outside the earth’s atmosphere.
Add as preferred source on Google TagsCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Comments: Link copiedMore Defense News
See All
Defense Military retires ‘Southern Spear’ anti-drug operation for Western Hemisphere task force by Ellen Mitchell 49 minutes ago Defense / 49 minutes ago 
