U.S. Burns Through Nearly All Long-Range Precision Missiles in Iran War

Five months of fighting Iran have drained almost the entire U.S. Army inventory of long-range surface-to-surface missiles — the ATACMS and its newer replacement, the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) — according to three people familiar with the supply data. At over $1 million apiece, these weapons let forces hit defended targets from a safe standoff distance, the same capability that proved decisive for Ukraine against Russia and that analysts consider essential to any future conflict with China. PrSM stocks were thin to begin with as a new munition, and while a large order is slated for 2027, current reserves are heavily depleted.

Defensive stockpiles are drawing down too. A CSIS estimate puts Patriot interceptor expenditure at roughly 65% since February and THAAD interceptor stocks at least 38% below pre-war levels — figures two sources say align with internal data — and nearly half the global Tomahawk cruise-missile supply has been spent. CENTCOM has largely exhausted its pre-war land-based missiles but has reloaded from reserves elsewhere. Officials worry the drawdown could erode deterrence against Russia and China; advisers reportedly warned Trump off another major Iran offensive over supply concerns, though one U.S. official attributes that pause to Gulf-state pressure instead.

The White House pushed back, with Trump claiming the U.S. holds “far more munitions than anyone in the world” and is producing at record levels. Analysts concede output is high but caution it may still fall short of what a prolonged war demands, and Raytheon has reached a tentative multi-year deal to ramp Tomahawk production. The war — launched jointly with Israel in February with no request to Congress for authorization — has also intensified debate over the president’s authority to sustain hostilities.