Pentagon officials and experts have warned that the United States lacks adequate munitions to sustain prolonged military operations against Iran, with concerns that the White House may not be fully aware of the severity of the shortage as Iranian precision-guided missiles increasingly penetrate American defense systems.
The United States used approximately double the number of interceptor missiles compared to Israel's own defenses during a recent Iranian missile attack, depleting roughly half of America's interceptor stockpile and raising concerns about US readiness for other military threats.
Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on Wednesday, where the two leaders strengthened bilateral ties and jointly criticized US President Donald Trump's 'Golden Dome' missile defense system as a threat to strategic stability. The meeting came just days after Trump's visit to China.
A nonpartisan federal agency estimated that a national missile defense system would cost $1.2 trillion to build and maintain over 20 years, seven times Trump's initial estimate and nearly double the CBO's first projection.
Germany's defense minister warned of a long-range strike 'gap' after the US announced withdrawal of 5,000 troops and cancellation of planned Typhon missile launcher deployments. Berlin had been counting on American missiles to deter Russia, but those resources may not be coming.
