Analysis: Depleting Critical Munitions in Iran Conflict Weakens US Readiness Against Russia and China
The US has consumed massive amounts of missiles in the conflict with Iran, severely depleting stockpiles meant for deterring China and raising concerns over its ability to defend Taiwan.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 13:18
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 13:31 (13 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 25, 2026 at 01:20 (11h 48m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Washington, 23rd) Since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February, the United States has expended approximately 1,100 long-range stealth cruise missiles originally prepared for China, directly halving its combat-ready stockpile. The 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles used represent 10 times the current annual procurement rate.
The New York Times, citing US administration and congressional officials, reported that the Pentagon is now rushing to urgently transfer munitions and other military equipment from commands in Asia and Europe to the Middle East. Officials from the Trump administration and Congress stated that these transfers have diminished the readiness of relevant regional commands to face potential adversaries like Russia and China.
Furthermore, according to internal Pentagon estimates and congressional officials, the US military has fired over 1,200 Patriot interceptor missiles and utilized more than 1,000 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) ground-based missiles in the Iran war, dropping relevant stockpiles to low levels.
This conflict also highlights the Pentagon's over-reliance on expensive missiles and munitions, particularly air defense interceptors, while raising doubts about the defense industry's ability to rapidly develop lower-cost weapons (such as suicide drones).
The NYT believes the biggest impact remains on deployments in Asia. Before the Iran war broke out, the US military relocated the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group from the South China Sea to the Middle East. Subsequently, two Marine Expeditionary Units were transferred from the Pacific to the Middle East, each comprising about 2,200 Marines.
The Pentagon also moved advanced air defense systems from Asia to the Middle East, including Patriot missiles from US Forces Korea and interceptors for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. South Korea is the only ally in Asia where this advanced missile defense system is deployed to counter the growing missile threat from North Korea.
Officials noted that even before the Iran war, the US military's readiness in the Pacific had been affected by troop movements. After a new round of the Gaza war broke out between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, and Yemen's Houthi rebels began attacking ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestine, the US military surged air and naval forces in the Middle East, weakening its strength in the Pacific.
The Wall Street Journal also reported today, citing US official assessments, that due to the massive use of munitions against Iran, the United States might not be able to fully execute its contingency plans to defend Taiwan should Beijing launch an invasion in the near term.
US officials pointed out that since the war with Iran began on February 28, the US has fired over 1,000 long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles and used 1,500 to 2,000 critical air defense munitions, including THAAD, Patriot, and Standard Missiles.
Officials stated that replenishing the stockpile could take up to 6 years, which has sparked discussions within the US government on whether operational plans need adjustment if the President orders the military to defend Taiwan.
Analysts noted that abundant munition reserves are crucial to countering China's massive missile arsenal; these Chinese missiles are likely to be used in an "anti-access/area denial" (A2/AD) strategy to block foreign forces intervening during an invasion of Taiwan.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report on the 21st expressing concern over the depletion of US military ammunition stockpiles.
The report assessed that the Tomahawk cruise missiles consumed in Iran account for about 27% of the total inventory, Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) about 36%, Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) about one-third, Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) nearly half, Patriot interceptors over 60%, and THAAD interceptors over 80%, indicating a more severe shortage of air defense weapons.
Mark Cancian, co-author of the report and a senior adviser at CSIS, said: "It will take us several years to replenish the stockpiles." (Translation: Chu Hsiang-ping, Chen I-wei) 1150424
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(Central News Agency, Washington, 23rd) Since the outbreak of the Iran war in late February, the United States has expended approximately 1,100 long-range stealth cruise missiles originally prepared for China, directly halving its combat-ready stockpile. The 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles used represent 10 times the current annual procurement rate.
The New York Times, citing US administration and congressional officials, reported that the Pentagon is now rushing to urgently transfer munitions and other military equipment from commands in Asia and Europe to the Middle East. Officials from the Trump administration and Congress stated that these transfers have diminished the readiness of relevant regional commands to face potential adversaries like Russia and China.
Furthermore, according to internal Pentagon estimates and congressional officials, the US military has fired over 1,200 Patriot interceptor missiles and utilized more than 1,000 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) ground-based missiles in the Iran war, dropping relevant stockpiles to low levels.
This conflict also highlights the Pentagon's over-reliance on expensive missiles and munitions, particularly air defense interceptors, while raising doubts about the defense industry's ability to rapidly develop lower-cost weapons (such as suicide drones).
The NYT believes the biggest impact remains on deployments in Asia. Before the Iran war broke out, the US military relocated the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group from the South China Sea to the Middle East. Subsequently, two Marine Expeditionary Units were transferred from the Pacific to the Middle East, each comprising about 2,200 Marines.
The Pentagon also moved advanced air defense systems from Asia to the Middle East, including Patriot missiles from US Forces Korea and interceptors for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. South Korea is the only ally in Asia where this advanced missile defense system is deployed to counter the growing missile threat from North Korea.
Officials noted that even before the Iran war, the US military's readiness in the Pacific had been affected by troop movements. After a new round of the Gaza war broke out between Israel and Hamas in October 2023, and Yemen's Houthi rebels began attacking ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestine, the US military surged air and naval forces in the Middle East, weakening its strength in the Pacific.
The Wall Street Journal also reported today, citing US official assessments, that due to the massive use of munitions against Iran, the United States might not be able to fully execute its contingency plans to defend Taiwan should Beijing launch an invasion in the near term.
US officials pointed out that since the war with Iran began on February 28, the US has fired over 1,000 long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles and used 1,500 to 2,000 critical air defense munitions, including THAAD, Patriot, and Standard Missiles.
Officials stated that replenishing the stockpile could take up to 6 years, which has sparked discussions within the US government on whether operational plans need adjustment if the President orders the military to defend Taiwan.
Analysts noted that abundant munition reserves are crucial to countering China's massive missile arsenal; these Chinese missiles are likely to be used in an "anti-access/area denial" (A2/AD) strategy to block foreign forces intervening during an invasion of Taiwan.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report on the 21st expressing concern over the depletion of US military ammunition stockpiles.
The report assessed that the Tomahawk cruise missiles consumed in Iran account for about 27% of the total inventory, Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) about 36%, Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) about one-third, Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) nearly half, Patriot interceptors over 60%, and THAAD interceptors over 80%, indicating a more severe shortage of air defense weapons.
Mark Cancian, co-author of the report and a senior adviser at CSIS, said: "It will take us several years to replenish the stockpiles." (Translation: Chu Hsiang-ping, Chen I-wei) 1150424
Stand with the facts; every sponsorship from you is the power to protect freedom of the press.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to grasp the latest news instantly.
The text, images, and audio/video of this website shall not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.