US Burned Through 'Virtually All' Long-Range Missiles
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- Reuters reported the U.S. has used 'virtually all' of its Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) in the war with Iran, with sources declining to specify exact remaining quantities.
- The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated last week the U.S. has fewer than 827 Patriot missiles and fewer than 278 THAAD ballistic missile interceptors remaining in stockpiles.
- Ukraine has contributed to the depletion since 2022, receiving U.S. weapons including Patriot interceptors and an unspecified number of ATACMS at rates faster than they could be replaced.
- President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and UN Ambassador Mike Waltz have repeatedly denied the U.S. is running low on critical munitions despite the mounting evidence.
- The Pentagon has responded with major procurement pushes, including an $18.2 billion budget replenishment request and a $441 million contract with RTX for PAC-2 missiles — older Patriot variants the U.S. had not ordered in decades.
- A U.S. official told the Washington Post last month there aren't enough munitions to sustain Middle East operations, adding 'I don't think the White House is aware of that.'
Why it matters: The stockpile gap is now operationally consequential: a U.S. official told the Washington Post the military lacks enough munitions to sustain Middle East operations — a warning the administration has not publicly acknowledged. The Pentagon's $441 million RTX contract for cold-war-era PAC-2 missiles and its $18.2 billion replenishment request show how seriously the military is responding to a shortage its civilian leadership still denies.
