00:27America's missile shield
00:28is facing a growing test,
00:30not just from enemy missiles,
00:32but from its own shrinking stockpiles.
00:35New estimates from the Center
00:36for Strategic and International Studies
00:39suggest the ongoing Iran war
00:41has burned through large quantities
00:43of some of America's most important
00:45missile interceptors and precision weapons.
00:48And the numbers are raising a bigger question.
00:51If another major conflict erupts tomorrow,
00:54will the United States have enough missiles
00:56to fight on multiple fronts?
00:59Start with the Patriot system.
01:02CSIS estimates that before the war,
01:04the United States had roughly
01:062,200 to 2,330 Patriot interceptors.
01:11But by late July,
01:13that number was estimated to have fallen
01:15to just around 759 to 827.
01:20That means roughly two-thirds of the stockpile
01:23may have been used.
01:24Patriot has been heavily relied upon
01:27to defend American forces and bases
01:29across the Middle East
01:31against ballistic missiles,
01:33cruise missiles,
01:33aircraft, and drones.
01:36Then there is THAAD,
01:37America's higher-altitude
01:39ballistic missile defense system.
01:41CSIS estimates the United States
01:44entered the conflict
01:45with roughly 452 THAAD interceptors.
01:48By late July,
01:50estimates put the remaining stockpile
01:52between 234 and 278.
01:56That means somewhere between 52 and 62 percent
02:00could remain.
02:01But these numbers are contested.
02:03Other reports have suggested
02:05far steeper THAAD depletion,
02:07while Pentagon officials have pushed back
02:10against some of the most alarming assessments.
02:12Then comes another major concern,
02:15the precision strike missile, or PRSM.
02:19The system was already
02:20in relatively limited supply before the war.
02:24Reports have indicated
02:25that the United States
02:26has used virtually all of its PRSM
02:29and ATACMS stocks during the conflict.
02:33Some estimates put remaining PRSM inventory
02:36at just 10 to 22 percent.
02:39And that creates a serious problem,
02:41because replacing these weapons
02:43cannot happen overnight.
02:45Now look at the tomahawk.
02:47Roughly two-thirds of the stockpile
02:50is estimated to remain,
02:51although exact numbers vary
02:53and continued combat use
02:55could change that figure.
02:56And America's allies
02:58are feeling the pressure.
02:59Japan's planned purchase
03:01of around 400 tomahawks
03:03has reportedly faced delays
03:05as Washington prioritizes
03:07its own requirements
03:08and struggles with production capacity.
03:11Taiwan has also faced delays
03:13in foreign military sales
03:15as the United States
03:16weighs its available weapons stockpiles
03:18against immediate wartime demands.
03:21That is where the alliance question
03:23becomes critical.
03:25Representative Michael McCaul
03:26has warned about
03:27the broader consequences
03:28when America cannot deliver weapons
03:31that partners have been promised.
03:33Because an alliance
03:34is not just about making promises,
03:36it's about having the weapons,
03:38the factories,
03:39and the capacity to deliver
03:41when a crisis begins.
03:43And then comes the battlefield math.
03:46Jordan reportedly intercepted
03:4818 of 20 Iranian ballistic missiles
03:50in one night.
03:52That was just one defensive engagement
03:54involving one country's
03:56missile defense network.
03:58Iran, meanwhile,
03:59has launched well over
04:001,000 ballistic missiles
04:02during the wider conflict,
04:04according to various tallies.
04:05The interception's success
04:07may be impressive,
04:08but every successful interception
04:11also means another expensive missile
04:13has been fired.
04:14And rebuilding those stocks
04:16takes years.
04:18Current Patriot production
04:19has been in the range
04:20of roughly 500
04:21to 650 interceptors annually,
04:25although Washington is pushing
04:26to dramatically increase production.
04:28At around 600 interceptors a year,
04:32rebuilding a stockpile
04:33of this scale could take several years,
04:36and that's assuming the United States
04:38stops using them.
04:39But wars rarely cooperate
04:41with production schedules.
04:43That's the real vulnerability.
04:45America may have the world's
04:47most sophisticated missile defenses,
04:49but even the strongest shield
04:51has a finite number of arrows.
04:54And as the Iran war continues,
04:56Washington faces a difficult balancing act,
04:59protect American forces today,
05:01replenish the arsenal tomorrow,
05:04and still keep enough weapons available
05:06for allies,
05:07and for another major conflict
05:09if one suddenly erupts.
05:11The U.S. government maintains
05:13that its forces have sufficient capabilities
05:15for current operations,
05:17while some officials have disputed
05:19the most alarming descriptions
05:20of depleted stocks.
05:22But one thing is clear.
05:24The longer the war continues,
05:25the more pressure it puts
05:27on America's missile stockpiles,
05:29production lines,
05:30and alliance commitments.
05:48The U.S. government
05:49has a lot of pressure
05:52on America's missile stockpiles,
05:52and alliance commitments.
