During a Senate committee hearing on May 15, acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao stated that the suspension of a $14 billion arms deal with Taiwan was to ensure ammunition supplies for the Epic Fury operation against Iran, asserting that the U.S. currently has "ample" munitions.
However, this claim contradicts earlier remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the operation had concluded. It also highlights the real pressure on the Pentagon's missile stockpiles.
According to a report by The Washington Post on May 15, during the 40-day Iran war (before the ceasefire on April 8), the U.S. launched over 200 THAAD interceptor missiles, roughly half its total inventory, along with more than 100 SM-3 and SM-6 missiles from warships. This far exceeds the number of interceptors used by Israel (fewer than 100 Arrow and 90 David's Sling missiles).
An April report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) shows the U.S. consumed over half its pre-war stockpiles for 4 out of 7 strategic munitions, including THAAD, Patriot, SM-3, and SM-6. By April 21, the U.S. had fired over 1,000 Tomahawk missiles out of a total of roughly 3,100.
CSIS warns that rebuilding stockpiles for these seven missile types could take 1 to 4 years. "U.S. factories are ramping up production lines, but they cannot deliver at the rate of consumption," noted expert Felix Arteaga of the Elcano Institute in Madrid.
Omar Ashour, a professor of military studies at Doha University in Qatar, argues that the Iran war has caused a "strategic stockpile shock," particularly in missile defense systems. Not only does it hinder continued U.S. support for Ukraine (with Patriots, THAADs, and PrSMs), but it also weakens deterrence in Asia, especially before allies like Japan and South Korea that rely on Washington to counter China and North Korea.
Shortages also affect Gulf allies using U.S. defense systems to counter Iranian strikes. Although President Trump claimed Iran had lost "most of its missile arsenal," U.S. intelligence estimates Tehran retains about 70% of its pre-war missile stockpile.
"The U.S. military can generate high-intensity firepower faster than the defense industrial base can regenerate," Ashour concluded. "The U.S. still has global reach, but not infinite ammo."
