Pentagon concerned over US stockpile depletion

Pentagon officials are concerned about the high number of Tomahawk missiles being used in the ongoing Iran war. The US military has used more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles in the four-week war.

Tomahawk missiles can be launched from ships and submarines and can travel more than 1,000 miles. Currently, only a few hundred missiles are produced annually, so their global supply is limited. Modern Tomahawk missiles have been in use since 2004 and are capable of targeting using GPS and satellites.

According to Pentagon officials, the number of Tomahawk missiles in the Middle East is now a “matter of concern.” If proper measures are not taken, the stockpile could quickly run out. The Pentagon official said that we are approaching a “Winchester” in the Middle East—which in military terms means running out of ammunition.

The Tomahawk missile costs up to $3.6 million per missile and takes two years to produce. The Pentagon has already held high-level meetings to increase production. Meanwhile, a recent report by the US Congress said that more than a third of the total stock of the air defense system THAAD has been damaged.

The report said that several THAAD radar systems have been destroyed and it will take more than a few years to restore them. As a result, US military bases in the southern Persian Gulf are vulnerable to Iranian missile attacks.

The report also mentioned that Iran has already dismantled Israel's air defense system. Now their goal is to destroy the defense system, missile and radar manufacturing factories.