Rebuilding US weapons stockpile may ‘take years’ post-Iran war

Restoring pre-war stockpiles of critical US munitions will take at least two years, according to CSIS report.The United States has enough munitions for any plausible scenario in the Iran war, but rebuilding its depleted inventories will “take years”, according to a new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).Restoring pre-war stockpiles of four critical munitions heavily used by US forces during nearly 40 days of joint fighting with Israel against Iran would take at least two years – and in some cases more than three – the Washington-based think tank said on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Missiles to munitions: Does the US risk running out of key weapons?list 2 of 4US pausing $14bn arms sale to Taiwan due to Iran war, navy chief sayslist 3 of 4As Trump woos China, the Quad grouping drifts towards irrelevancelist 4 of 4Iran says it has a new air defence system. How significant is it?end of listWhile US officials publicly project confidence in weapons stockpiles, analysts have said that dwindling munition supplies may be shaping Washington’s calculations over whether to resume the war on Iran.“Campaigns against Iran and its proxies – and, for Patriot interceptors, aid to Ukraine – have made the problem more acute,” said the CSIS report.“Alongside replenishing its own stocks, the United States also has to fulfil orders from allies and partners.”A finding by the think tank last month said that the four key munitions that had been depleted to more than half their pre-war inventory levels included the Land Attack Missile (TLAM), the Terminal High Altitude Area Defences (THAAD) interceptors, Patriot missiles, and the SM-3 and SM-6 ship-based surface-to-air missiles.The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) and Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) will take several months to a year to replace, CSIS said. The pre-war PrSM inventory was low because the system had just begun production, while JASSM, though heavily used in the Iran war, will see large deliveries from recent procurements, it added.“Decisions on how to allocate new production have already created bilateral friction, and this friction will continue for the next few years as demand outpaces supply,” the report warned.