U.S. Media: U.S. Military Concerned About Insufficient Stock of Air Defense Interceptors

Reference News Network reported on March 4 According to a report by the Wall Street Journal website on March 1, when the highest-ranking U.S. military leaders outlined the risks of launching a large-scale, long-term attack on Iran to President Trump, one of the issues they pointed out was the U.S. ammunition stockpile.

Current and former officials and analysts say this is being put to the test: the U.S. is racing against time to destroy Iran's missile and drone capabilities before its interceptors run out in defense against Iranian retaliation.

The exact size of the U.S. air defense interceptor stockpile—referred to by the Pentagon as "ammunition depot depth"—has remained classified.

However, repeated conflicts with Iran and its Middle Eastern proxies are continuously depleting U.S. air defense ammunition in the region.

Starting from the morning of February 28 Tehran time, the U.S. and Israel conducted bombings against Iranian leaders and military targets (including Iran's missile launchers, drones, and airports). A senior official said that one of the reasons for the U.S. and Israel to launch the attack first was to weaken Iran's ability to retaliate with missiles and drones.

Iran launched over 500 missiles and a large number of attack drones during the "12th War" last June. The country's retaliatory actions on the 28th were even more intense.

Nevertheless, U.S. Central Command stated on the 28th that U.S. forces had largely successfully defended against hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks, although some missiles and drones did hit their targets, particularly in Gulf countries close to Iran. This conflict is not over, and the U.S., Israel, and Iran will likely launch more attacks.

Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, said, "One of the challenges is that you may quickly run out of these munitions. Our rate of use exceeds the rate of resupply."

The "THAAD" missile defense system is set to be deployed to Israel in 2024 along with U.S. Army units operating the system, as the Biden administration seeks to protect the country from Iranian attacks. Jordan has also deployed a "THAAD" system. One of the Pentagon's main concerns is whether it can maintain a sufficient stockpile of interceptors for the "THAAD" system.

The Pentagon is also accelerating the replenishment of stocks of "Patriot" missiles and "Standard" missiles.

Both types of interceptors can eliminate aerial threats and are being used to defend against Iranian missiles and drones. "Patriot" missiles eliminate low-altitude threats, while "Standard"-3 missiles can intercept ballistic missiles outside the atmosphere.

Air defense interceptors are not the only munitions in short supply. The U.S. has also employed sea-based "Tomahawk" cruise missiles and air-based weapons to strike Iranian targets.

The involvement of the Israeli military will alleviate the pressure on the U.S. regarding the supply of offensive munitions. However, Israel is also concerned about its ammunition supply, as its "Arrow"-3 air defense interceptors are still insufficient, and there are not many air-launched ballistic missiles.

A U.S. official said that if the war continues and more interceptors are needed, the Pentagon will decide whether to draw from stockpiles in the Pacific region. (Translated by Ge Xuelai)