The United States has reportedly exhausted “virtually all” of its stockpile of precision surface-to-surface missiles during the nearly six-month conflict involving Iran, according to multiple sources who spoke with Reuters.
The report raises questions about the status of some of the military’s most advanced long-range strike capabilities, although the White House and Pentagon maintain that the U.S. remains fully prepared for any military contingency.
According to Reuters, it is unclear exactly how many Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, and Precision Strike Missiles, or PrSMs, remain in the U.S. arsenal. Three anonymous sources told the outlet the inventory of the precision-guided weapons has been significantly depleted.
The missiles are considered a critical component of the U.S. military’s long-range strike capability, allowing American forces to accurately engage targets from a considerable distance while reducing risk to personnel.
Reuters reported that each missile costs more than $1 million and is widely viewed as an important element of U.S. military readiness.
The weapons have also played a significant role outside the Middle East. According to the report, U.S.-supplied ATACMS and PrSMs have been instrumental in Ukraine’s war against Russia, enabling Ukrainian forces to strike targets located within Russian territory.
Reuters also cited a fourth source who claimed that U.S. Central Command has replenished some of its inventory by drawing from American stockpiles positioned elsewhere around the world.
The White House disputed that assertion.
In a statement attributed to President Donald Trump, the administration rejected concerns that the United States lacks sufficient munitions.
“The United States has far more munitions than anyone in the world” and “far more than we need,” the White House told Reuters through the president’s statement.
The statement also emphasized ongoing production efforts by the American defense industry.
“Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels,” Trump said, according to the statement.
Reuters reported that Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of both ATACMS and PrSMs, did not immediately respond to the outlet’s request for comment.
The Pentagon likewise sought to reassure the public that America’s military capabilities remain intact despite the reported strain on missile inventories.
“America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told Reuters.
“We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests,” Parnell added.
The reported depletion comes after the United States and Israel launched joint airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28, beginning a conflict that has now stretched for nearly six months.
The Reuters report is also not the first indication of potential military or logistical concerns tied to the war effort.
On Saturday, The Washington Post reported that a senior U.S. general serving in Europe warned the Pentagon that he lacked the resources necessary to protect Israel.
Despite those reports, both the White House and Pentagon insist the United States continues to possess the military resources needed to carry out operations whenever and wherever directed by the president.
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