The U.S. military's stockpiles of several long-range precision missiles have been reduced to critically low levels after five months of war with Iran, according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter. Reports indicate that inventories of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and the newer Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) have been heavily depleted, while supplies of Patriot and THAAD missile interceptors, along with Tomahawk cruise missiles, have also fallen significantly because of sustained combat operations. U.S. defense officials have said the military retains the capabilities needed to defend the country and meet its operational requirements, while efforts to replenish inventories continue.

The extensive use of precision-guided munitions reflects the central role they played throughout the conflict, allowing U.S. forces to strike targets at long range with greater accuracy while reducing risks to personnel. The pace of consumption, however, has outstripped current production rates for several advanced weapons, exposing long-standing concerns within the Pentagon and Congress about the capacity of the U.S. defense industrial base to sustain a prolonged, high-intensity conflict. Earlier reports during the war had already indicated that hundreds of Tomahawk cruise missiles and large numbers of missile interceptors had been expended, signaling increasing pressure on U.S. stockpiles.