Washington, Feb 26 (.) The US fears that an attack on Iran may cripple its weapon supplies, as Washington mulls limited strikes on Tehran amid the failure of negotiations between the two sides in delivering practical effects, apart from providing more avenues for talks.
The US is already facing a massive domestic shortage in certain critical advanced weapon platforms due to excess deliveries to Ukraine and Israel, with officials claiming that Washington has burnt through its supplies faster than it can produce them, leaving Washington with an inventory that is running uncomfortably low.
General Dan Caine, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chair, has raised concerns about the military’s shortage of air defence interceptors since January, according to a person familiar with the conversations, reports Politico.
The US defence industry has reportedly struggled for years to produce various critical air defence interceptors which are crucial for giving protection against incoming missiles due to both the complexity and speed of production, as well as the excessive deliveries to Israel, Ukraine, NATO nations, as well as to US troops stationed in West Asia.
These fears have greatly magnified in recent weeks as the Pentagon amassed the largest military buildup in the region since the Iraq War.
The comments come post US President Donald Trump’s address to Congress, where he raised the possibility of limited strikes against Iran. Stating that he had yet to “hear the magic words”, Trump remarked that he never once received a promise from Tehran to never develop nuclear weapons, despite Iran’s repeated claims to the contrary, and threatened Tehran with a “very bad day”, should it refuse to make a deal.
Despite numerous anonymous defence officials making claims of critically low inventory, the Pentagon has claimed otherwise, with spokesperson Sean Parnell stating “The Department of War has everything it needs to execute any mission at the time and place of the President’s choosing and, on any timeline,” using the administration’s preferred title for the Pentagon.
Some lawmakers warn that a strike, especially one that spurs a prolonged conflict, could take away from other critical needs.
“There have been urgent calls for reforms in procurement, but the net result is that we are seemingly unable to meet all of the needs for defence production — for Ukraine, for our partners in the Middle East,” said Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who argued the defence industry is not producing Lockheed Martin-built Patriot interceptors or RTX’s Tomahawk long-range missiles quickly enough.
While keeping inventory details under wraps for security reasons, the US Defence Department is believed to be facing a critical shortage of weapon supplies, especially systems like the THAAD, and the Patriot.
The Washington-based think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, estimates that the US may have fired up to 20 per cent of its Standard Missile-3 interceptors it was expected to have on hand in 2025, and between 20-50% of Terminal High Altitude Area Defence missiles.
Factoring in Iran’s massive stockpile, these fears have further increased, as the US military, beyond just air defence munitions, also risks overusing its Tomahawk land attack missiles and other precision strike weapons, leaving it very much vulnerable if it faces any possible military threat from China in the future, though it is noted to be extremely unlikely at this time.
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