US fears rapid depletion of modern missile stocks due to operation in Iran - The Washington Post

The Pentagon is discussing the rapid use of high-precision weapons during the US operation in Iran, which has raised questions about the volume of existing stocks. First of all, we are talking about Patriot missiles and Tomahawk cruise missiles.

This was reported on March 4 by The Washington Post, citing sources.

According to the publication, less than a week after the start of the massive airstrike campaign, the US military has used up hundreds of modern munitions.

Four sources familiar with the Pentagon's estimates said that Patriot interceptor missiles, THAAD missiles, and Tomahawk cruise missiles were used during the operation.

According to the newspaper's interlocutors, the pace of consumption of high-precision weapons is so high that at some point American officers may need to determine which targets to intercept first.

A US official told The Washington Post that the rate of munitions use slowed after the first day of Operation Epic Fury, but did not decline dramatically.

Another source told the publication that after the US and Israel established air superiority over Iran, US fighter jets began to use cheaper munitions, including guided bombs, more frequently.

During a briefing on March 4, Pentagon officials separately answered questions about the use of munitions in the operation.

The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, said that the US military has enough precision weapons to carry out its missions.

"We have enough precision weapons to carry out our missions, both offensively and defensively," he said, without giving specifics on the size of the stockpile.

Democratic Senator Andy Kim said that during closed Pentagon briefings for Congress, he asked General Caine about the amount of ammunition used during the operation against Iran. According to the Senator, the military did not give specific numbers, but did not express concern during the conversation with lawmakers.

According to The Washington Post, US ammunition stocks have been decreasing in recent years due to compromises in the defense budget, military aid to Ukraine and the use of armed forces in foreign policy.

The publication also notes that since taking office, President Donald Trump has launched military operations in seven countries - Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen. In addition, the US has carried out more than 40 strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the waters of Latin America.

One of the American officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the publication that a prolonged campaign against Iran may leave insufficient ammunition to respond to other threats, in particular those related to China and the situation around Taiwan.

Recall, earlier US President Donald Trump stated that the United States has virtually unlimited stockpiles of weapons and is capable of conducting combat operations for a long time, relying only on available resources.