The extensive use of advanced weaponry in the war against Iran has severely depleted US military stockpiles, limiting Washington’s ability to deter threats from China and Russia. Military planners are concerned that this resource drain has forced the US European Command to adjust its operational plans, and officials assess that the US cannot fully execute contingency plans to defend Taiwan in the short term. Moving air defense units from Japan, South Korea, and Germany to the Middle East has created “soft spots” in American global military posture that could take years to refill. The US military's extensive use of missiles and air-defense interceptors against Iran has depleted important weapons stocks in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. This forces American planners to reconsider how much firepower they can simultaneously maintain against potential threats from China and Russia. A Wall Street Journal report indicates that US inventories in Europe of PAC-3 Patriot interceptors and ATACMS missiles are at “beyond critical” levels. Other weapons, including precision-strike missiles, guided rockets, and THAAD interceptors, have also been redirected from Europe and Asia to the Middle East. By mid-July, US forces had fired approximately 1,700 Patriot interceptors, more than 200 THAAD interceptors, and around 150 Standard Missile interceptors. The Iran war is causing concern among Asian allies, including Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, who are closely monitoring US weapons availability. The most serious test would come in the Indo-Pacific, as US war games examining a conflict with China have repeatedly shown extremely rapid consumption of long-range missiles, with some simulations suggesting the US could expend about 5,000 long-range missiles within four weeks of such a conflict. The Pentagon has awarded Lockheed Martin a $58.6 billion contract aimed at tripling Patriot interceptor production by 2030, in an effort to replenish dwindling stocks.
