US military used up nearly half of Patriot missiles during Iran war: Analysis

The U.S. military has used up nearly half of its stockpile of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles and heavily expended six other key missile stockpiles during its seven-week strike campaign against Iran, according to a new analysis from the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). 

The U.S. fired almost 50 percent of its Patriot missile stockpile; more than half of Terminal High Altitude Area Defenses (THAADs), which are used to protect against short, medium and intermediate-range missiles; and over 45 percent of its Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs) stockpiles during the air and missile campaign in Iran, CSIS said in its Tuesday report. 

Rebuilding the stockpiles of the missiles, including Tomahawks and JASSMs, precision-guided cruise missiles, to pre-Operation Epic Fury levels will take one to four years and these munitions will be critical for a potential conflict in the Western Pacific, according to CSIS. 

“Even before the Iran war, stockpiles were deemed insufficient for a peer competitor fight. That shortfall is now even more acute and building stockpiles to levels adequate for a war........

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