AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): An analytical report by the American think tank "Center for Strategic and International Studies" (CSIS) has reported a significant reduction in U.S. missile stockpiles during the war with Iran.
According to this report, the U.S. military consumed a high volume of Patriot air defense missile stockpiles during a seven-week campaign against Iran. Additionally, over half of the THAAD systems and more than 45 percent of Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) were also used in this operation.
The report emphasizes that rebuilding these stockpiles, including Tomahawk missiles and other guided munitions, could take between one and four years. The authors of the report stated that even before the war with Iran, U.S. weapons stockpiles were insufficient to counter peer competitors, and now this shortfall has become "far more severe"—a situation that could prove challenging for Washington in the event of a conflict with powers such as China.
The report stresses that current stockpile levels are insufficient to confront great powers simultaneously.
A key challenge is the high cost of these systems. Each THAAD interceptor missile can cost up to approximately $13-$15 million, and Patriot missiles also cost millions of dollars. In contrast, some threats, such as low-cost drones, have a far lower cost, turning this economic imbalance into a strategic problem.
Beyond cost, the issue of production capacity is also significant. U.S. defense industries produce these systems at a limited pace under normal conditions, and rapidly scaling up production to compensate for extensive consumption faces constraints in supply chains, raw materials, and industrial capacity. Analysts warn that the continuation of this trend could undermine America's deterrent capability in other regions, such as the Asia-Pacific.
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