Trump brokers Hamas disarmament deal as Saudi Arabia plans Houthi offensive - Fox News
The U.S. military is facing a critical shortage of missile defense interceptors like Patriots and THAAD due to high usage in the Middle East. The Pentagon is requesting significant emergency funding to replenish these stockpiles over the coming years.
Why it matters
Depleted missile inventories pose a strategic risk to U.S. national security and the ability to respond to conflicts in other regions like the Indo-Pacific.
The Pentagon is confronting a growing reality after months of fighting Iran: America's stockpile of missile defense interceptors.
It is shrinking so much, military planners are weighing whether they can continue the current cycle of limited retaliatory strikes.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies, using open-source budget numbers provided to Congress, estimates U.S. Patriot interceptor inventories have fallen from roughly 2,300 pre-war to fewer than 827.
THAAD interceptor inventories have also dropped from 452 to fewer than 278.
CSIS warns rebuilding those stockpiles could take three years or more, raising concerns about protecting U.S. forces and bases worldwide if another major conflict erupts, for instance in the Pacific.
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