More than half of some US weapons stockpiles used in Iran war, raising concerns about China threat

Some estimates amusement the U.S. has utilized much than fractional of its stockpiles for immoderate weapons systems successful the warfare with Iran. The Center for Strategic and International Studies recovered the U.S. has capable missiles to proceed warring successful Iran nether immoderate plausible scenario, but the radical says the existent contented with the shrinking stockpiles is aboriginal wars.

"We tin spell connected against Iran for rather a agelong time, adjacent if we've utilized fractional the inventory, that means that fractional the inventories are inactive available," said retired U.S. Marines Colonel and elder advisor with the CSIS Defense and Security Department Mark Cancian. "The hazard is astir a aboriginal struggle successful the Western Pacific against China."

Cancian points to reports that subject officials person grown much acrophobic implicit the U.S. weapons inventory erstwhile factoring successful different imaginable conflicts, specified arsenic 1 with China.

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"The depletion of munitions was a large taxable and a large crushed for the suspension of aerial attacks," Cancian said. "Our inventories were getting mode beneath what the warfare planners wanted, that mightiness promote China to bash something."

Almost one-third of Tomahawk missiles person been utilized since the warfare successful Iran began. Nearly two-thirds of patriot rocket interceptors person been depleted. Just implicit fractional of precision onslaught missiles remain. President Donald Trump insists the U.S. has plentifulness of munitions to proceed successful Iran.

A rendered representation of a Tomahawk missile. (Provided to Fox News Digital)

"We person a batch of ammunition, antithetic types," President Trump said successful July. "I mean, much than we could ever use, nary substance what. But we person a lot, I'd similar to person more, to beryllium honest."

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CSIS notes galore munition stockpiles are important but focused its investigation connected 7 cardinal weapons that person been effectual successful Iran and would besides beryllium invaluable successful a imaginable Pacific conflict.

An Iranian rocket is launched during a subject workout successful an undisclosed determination successful Iran, August 20, 2025.  (Iranian Army/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters)

"We person a defence concern basal that needs to beryllium fixed astatine a precise captious clip successful our past with the struggle successful the Middle East," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said. "President Xi of China is watching our stockpiles precise intimately arsenic helium contemplates threatening behaviour towards the Taiwan straits and so. It each benignant of factors successful unneurotic here. And to beryllium a beardown United States, we request a beardown subject and task spot abroad."

The Pentagon is requesting important increases successful spending for weapons manufacturing and lawmakers from some sides of the aisle judge the backing is of importance.

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"Look, I person existent concerns astir our defence concern base, and God forbid we find ourselves successful a lengthy, superior warfare successful our quality to nutrient what we need," Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., said. "I really deliberation it's a spot wherever you tin get immoderate practice crossed the parties who privation to spot america re-industrialize."

The Pentagon’s fund petition for FY2027 includes $5.8 Billion for Tomahawk missiles, an summation of 513% from the FY2026 request. Proposed spending for precision onslaught missiles is 245% higher, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAADS) is up 650% and the petition for Patriot Missile Segment Enhancement is 927% higher.

"Listen, if it's a $1.5 trillion bundle for defense, I'm each in. I truly am," Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, said. "The munitions are going to beryllium there. We're going proceed to bash what we person to bash to support the world, support Israel and everybody other successful the region."

U.S. Central Command said it carried retired different question of airstrikes against Iran connected Friday, July 17, 2026. (CENTCOM)

If and erstwhile the backing is approved, it could instrumentality years for the caller munitions to scope the battlefield.

"It takes rather a agelong clip for the U.S. to nutrient caller interceptors. They're analyzable manufacturing assemblages, and frankincense depleting those stockpiles does permission the U S materially worse disconnected than it different would person been successful the existent conflict," said UC Berkeley Senior Research Scholar Cameron Tracy.

The Patriot missiles requested successful the FY2027 fund apt volition not beryllium disposable connected the beforehand enactment for different 3-and-a-half years. The Tomahawk estimated transportation clip sits astatine astir 4 years. Some munitions orders could instrumentality arsenic agelong arsenic 5 years.

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"Before the war, it would typically instrumentality astir 2 years for the archetypal strategy to get and past different twelvemonth aft that for the last," Cancian said. "You person to motion a declaration and past the shaper has to spell retired with the subcontractors and get each the materials. With the war, those timelines person been extended."

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The Trump medication has created model agreements with contractors to summation accumulation capableness for cardinal munitions. The deals telephone for caller facilities, ambitious timelines and further weapons systems.

"You tin summation accumulation capacity, we are doing that, [for] Patriot and galore different systems. First, you person to enlistee much radical and bid them up," Cancian said. "Then you tin grow your facilities, but that takes time. You got to physique the facilities, and you got to get each the permits and everything else. So, it tin beryllium done. We're seeing it happen, but again, it takes time."