US military depletes 80% of THAAD stockpile amid Iran war: Report

The US military has depleted nearly 80% of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor stockpile and roughly half of its Patriot missiles since the war with Iran began in February, according to a CNN report published Tuesday. Citing defense sources and a recent inventory assessment, the report said senior American commanders have privately described the Pentagon's overall munitions reserves as "dangerously low."

The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that Washington held roughly 2,200 Patriot missiles and 452 THAAD interceptors before the conflict started, the report noted. The Gulf states that depend on US-supplied air defenses have warned that the shortages could leave them exposed to retaliatory fire if they face Iranian strikes following any further American attacks.

Trump's calculus

The depleted stockpiles factored into President Donald Trump's decision last weekend to call off additional strikes on Iran after Gulf allies told him they feared retaliation against their energy infrastructure, the report claimed. "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," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.

Replenishment gaps

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CNN that the US has "more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles" to meet Trump's goals. The Army Tactical Missile System and Precision Strike Missile inventories have also been heavily drawn down, while nearly half of the US Tomahawk stockpile has been expended — up from roughly 30% reported in April — with analysts estimating it could take three years or more to restore THAAD reserves to pre-war levels given current production rates of about 15 Tomahawks and 20 Patriot missiles monthly.