A U.S. Army sergeant prepares the crane for loading the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) on to the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in support of Talisman Sabre 2023 at Williamson Airfield in Queensland, Australia on July 26, 2023. …
A new report raises concerns about how prepared the United States would be if the nation got involved in another conflict elsewhere in the world. Reuters reported Tuesday that the U.S. Army has nearly depleted its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles, citing three sources who were familiar with the data.
Big picture view:
Those sources told Reuters on the condition of remaining anonymous that the issue primarily is affecting the Army’s surface-to-surface weapons. Two of them added that "virtually all" of the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) have been used. The sources did not state how many of the missiles the U.S. still had on hand.
Why you should care:
With fewer long-range missiles at its disposal, the U.S. military could be forced to rely more heavily on piloted bombing missions should large-scale attacks on Iran resume, Reuters said, describing such missions as riskier.
Additionally, the three sources worried about the ability of the U.S. to deter adversaries, like China or Russia, if its missile supply dwindled. A fourth source cited by Reuters asserted that the U.S. would be able to resupply and could reload from its supplies around the world.
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"Far more than we need"
The White House responded to a Reuters question about the missile data with a statement from President Donald Trump in which the Commander-in-Chief said the U.S. had "far more munitions than anyone in the world" and "far more than we need."
What they're saying:
"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.
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Dig deeper:
Analysts confirmed to Reuters that some U.S. munitions, such as artillery shells and several types of missiles, are being produced at record levels. However, they expressed concern that current supplies are not enough to last through a prolonged war.
The supply numbers were making the rounds through the Trump administration last week, leading to tense conversations about how much longer the U.S. can sustain attacks on Iran before the stockpile reaches levels where the military’s response could be limited in other crises.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from Reuters. This story was reported from Orlando.