Milan, 24 April (LaPresse) – The war in Iran has depleted US stocks of vital and costly weapons. This is according to the New York Times (NYT), citing sources within the administration and Congress who stress that the Pentagon’s rush to rearm its forces in the Middle East leaves it less prepared to face potential adversaries such as Russia and China. “Since the war with Iran began in late February, the United States has used up around 1,100 of its long-range stealth cruise missiles, built in anticipation of a conflict with China, a figure close to the total number remaining in US stocks,” writes the NYT, adding that “the military has launched more than 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles, about 10 times the number it currently purchases each year”. The newspaper also reports that ‘the Pentagon used more than 1,200 Patriot interceptor missiles during the war, at a cost of over $4 million each, and more than 1,000 Precision Strike and ATACMS ground-launched missiles, leaving stocks at worryingly low levels, according to internal estimates by the Department of Defence and congressional officials’. The New York Times reports that the conflict has also highlighted the Pentagon’s over-reliance on excessively expensive missiles and ammunition, particularly air defence interceptors, as well as concerns about the defence industry’s ability to develop cheaper weapons – especially attack drones – much more quickly.
Iran, NYT: ‘War has depleted US missile stocks’
Milan, 24 April (LaPresse) – The war in Iran has depleted US stocks of vital and costly weapons. This is according to the New York Times (NYT), citing sources within the administration and Congress who stress that the Pentagon’s rush to rearm its forces in the Middle East leaves it less prepared to face potential adversaries such as Russia and China. “Since the war with Iran began in late February, the United States has used up around 1,100 of its long-range stealth cruise missiles, built in anticipation of a conflict with China, a figure close to the total number remaining in US stocks,” writes the NYT, adding that “the military has launched more than 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles, about 10 times the number it currently purchases each year”. The newspaper also reports that ‘the Pentagon used more than 1,200 Patriot interceptor missiles during the war, at a cost of over $4 million each, and more than 1,000 Precision Strike and ATACMS ground-launched missiles, leaving stocks at worryingly low levels, according to internal estimates by the Department of Defence and congressional officials’. The New York Times reports that the conflict has also highlighted the Pentagon’s over-reliance on excessively expensive missiles and ammunition, particularly air defence interceptors, as well as concerns about the defence industry’s ability to develop cheaper weapons – especially attack drones – much more quickly.
