Pentagon Spent 'Nearly All' Precision Missiles
Reuters sources warn of critically low ATACMS and PrSM stockpiles, as the administration denies reports and critics question readiness for new conflicts.
Reuters sources warn of critically low ATACMS and PrSM stockpiles, as the administration denies reports and critics question readiness for new conflicts.
U.S. military forces have used up "nearly all" of their long-range precision missiles during the war with Iran and the earlier campaign of Operation Epic Fury, Reuters has learned from informed sources. The news, published on Wednesday, August 6, 2026, has sparked a wave of concern over the Pentagon's readiness for potential future conflicts with Russia and China.
Two anonymous sources confirmed to Reuters that "Washington has used nearly all of this weaponry," referring primarily to the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). The news comes after a series of media reports and think-tank analyses that had already warned of dwindling stockpiles, due both to the war in the Middle East and to years of continuous military aid to Ukraine.
Replacing these sophisticated weapons systems is not only time-consuming but also extremely costly. A single ATACMS missile costs roughly one million dollars. The consequences of the shortage could be far-reaching. In the event of renewed intensive bombing of Iran, U.S. forces would be forced to conduct riskier airstrikes with pilots, rather than relying on precision strikes from a safer distance.
Another significant consequence is the reduced ability to deter global rivals. "As the war drags on, three people familiar with the situation expressed concern that the decline in missile stockpiles could limit the U.S. ability to deter adversaries, including Russia and China," Reuters reports. A fourth source adds that Central Command, responsible for U.S. forces in the Middle East, has nearly exhausted the ground-launched missiles it had before the war, but is being resupplied from other U.S. military stockpiles around the world.
The administration of President Donald Trump has reacted sharply to these reports. The President, commenting on widespread rumors of depleted stockpiles, stated: "Our defense companies are currently producing more ammunition than ever before, expanding their factories and equipment at a record level."
Even harsher was Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. On social media platform X, he directly called out the television network CNN, whose on-screen banner read: "Source: U.S. has spent nearly 80% of key missile interceptors in war with Iran, top commanders warn stockpiles dangerously low." Hegseth fired back: "That banner is NOT TRUE, CNN. Shame on you." He added: "We don't hate fake news media enough."
The Reuters report has also fueled speculation that Trump's weekend decision to back off from planned "harsher" strikes on Iran may have been partly motivated by Pentagon warnings about declining stockpiles and conventional capabilities for conducting long-range missile strikes. Critics of the war have warned from the very beginning of exactly this scenario of military stockpile depletion, emphasizing that the war is not in America's interest but primarily serves to protect Israel.
Critic Mark Ames summed up the frustration in a tweet from August 4, 2026: "We've run out of key defensive weapons systems, and now we're left without key offensive weapons. Besides, how's the war going?" The situation is further complicated by the fact that in the first weeks of Operation Epic Fury, at least 13 U.S. bases in the Middle East were hit and damaged, leading to the withdrawal of forces from the front lines and billions of dollars in damage to energy facilities in the region.
