WASHINGTON — The US-Israeli airstrike campaign against Iran is sparking debate in Washington as many Democratic lawmakers express concern that US weapon stockpiles could be depleted if the conflict persists.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration asserts that the US military still has sufficient weaponry to carry out all military missions.
President Trump stated that several defense corporations have agreed to quadruple weapon production as soon as possible, though he did not disclose specific details on which weapon systems are seeing increased production.
According to defense experts, US missile defense systems are under the greatest pressure, particularly the Patriot and THAAD interceptors currently being used in Ukraine and Israel.
Defense expert Ryan Brobst of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies suggested that the US is not worried about a weapon shortage in the current conflict, but the bigger issue is deterrence capability after the war ends.
He noted the challenge lies in maintaining military strength against major adversaries such as China and Russia.
In the current conflict, the US uses Patriot and THAAD systems to intercept Iranian missiles launched in retaliation following US and Israeli attacks.
However, US officials admit that countering Iranian drone attacks has been difficult.
The US military is deploying a new anti-drone system called Merops, which has proven effective against Russian drones in Ukraine. This system is significantly more cost-effective than using expensive interceptor missiles to shoot down drones.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell affirmed that the US military has full capacity to carry out all operations as decided by the President.
Defense contractor Lockheed Martin also announced it began increasing production of critical munitions months ago.
However, some Democratic lawmakers argue that US weapon reserves are dwindling due to recent conflicts.
Senator Richard Blumenthal stated that the government has repeatedly claimed it cannot provide more Patriot interceptors to Ukraine due to limited reserves.
Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic leader on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said US ammunition stockpiles have declined following several recent military campaigns, including operations against Houthi forces in Yemen.
According to Mr. Warner, replenishing the stockpiles will require additional defense spending at a time when the US has many domestic spending needs.
Experts say the THAAD system is designed to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles, while the Patriot is used for short-range missiles and aircraft.
It is estimated that about 25% of the US THAAD missile inventory was used to protect Israel against Iranian missile attacks during the conflict last year.
Additionally, cruise missiles and long-range precision-guided weapons are also being heavily used in the current military campaign.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the US used many long-range strike weapons in the early stages of the campaign, but currently, the military primarily uses 500, 1,000, and 2,000-pound GPS and laser-guided bombs.
According to experts, US stockpiles of these types of bombs remain plentiful because they are lower cost and produced in large quantities.
Some analysts believe the primary reason for the shortage of advanced interceptor weapons stems from previous administrations failing to order sufficient quantities for years.
The current production increase will take a long time to expand production lines and replenish stockpiles.
