Report to Congress on U.S. Munitions and Missile Defense Amid Iran Conflict

U.S. Naval Institute ^ | MARCH 19, 2026 | U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE STAFF

[Retain Mike]

Congress has expressed interest in the status of the U.S. military’s inventories of munitions (e.g.,ammunition, bombs, missiles, torpedoes, anti-aircraft weapons, missile interceptors). Since the UnitedStates and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28, 2026, some Members ofCongress have sought information on the stockpiles and availability of U.S. weapons from theDepartment of Defense (DOD, which is “using a secondary Department of War designation,” underExecutive Order 14347 dated September 5, 2025). Some Members have raised concerns about potentialshortfalls in munitions, while other Members have said munitions are not an immediate concern.President Donald J. Trump has said U.S. munitions are “virtually unlimited.” DOD officials have saidsufficient munitions are available, while maintaining that the status of U.S. stocks is considered “anoperational security matter.” In these comments, officials have not differentiated between stocks of air-to-ground and air-to-air munitions versus missiles and missile interceptors.

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Chit/Chat; Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: ammo; europeanunion; iran; missile; munitions; nato; waronterror

[Retain Mike]

I do hope they have cleaned out the warehouses of all the older stuff and now expend that first.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Good point and I’ll bet they have.

[CatHerd]

Based on reports over the past few years, we sent a whole lot of our older stuff to Ukraine.

What’s more, we had to take our THAAD system (we have precious few of those) out of South Korea and redeploy it to the ME after Iran destroyed our AN/TPY-2 radar at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, and reportedly damaged other radar systems in Jordan, the UAE and the KSA.

We were reportedly running low on defensive interceptor missiles after supplying Patriots to Ukraine and Israel, and IIRC expending THAADs in defense of Israel. But maybe we just used that as an excuse to say “no more” to Zelensky. 😜

We ramped up our production, but that’s a work in progress, AI says:

“As of early 2026, THAAD interceptor production is being quadrupled from 96 to 400 per year, while Patriot (PAC-3 MSE) production is ramping up from roughly 500-600 annually toward a target of 2,000 to meet high demand. These increases are driven by US efforts to bolster stockpiles amid increased global conflicts,”

My guess is Congress is worried we are running low for good reason, but it’s just my guess.

[delta7]

St Z depleted much of our small arms ( AT4’s, Stingers, Claymores, etc) basically boots on the ground equipment. Arms CEO’s stated 2-3 year to replenish, as long as no sustained boots on the ground operations erupt, we should be good.
Germany’s Rheinhardt arms manufacturer stated last week that they are DEPLETED, and the manufacturing cost’s have increased 4 X as much material ( metal, powders, etc) was bought from Russia….Senile Joes sanctions screwed them…so sad….

[TexasGator]

“Germany’s Rheinhardt arms manufacturer stated last week that they are DEPLETED,”

LOL!

It is Rheinmetall, not Rheinhardt. And they say their warehouses are full.

[Retain Mike]

I am reading Winston Churchill’s history of WW I. He commented on quickly artillery ammunition was used up compared to staff estimates before the war.

[TexasGator]

“We were reportedly running low on defensive interceptor missiles after supplying Patriots to Ukraine and Israel, and IIRC expending THAADs in defense of Israel.”

We are not running low. We used quite a few but the Iran launches are pretty much done.

[MagillaX]

Congress should cancel any Tariff refunds and shift the funds to restocking supplies.

[TexasGator]

Welcome back. Silver down another 3 1/2 percent.

[ansel12]

“”””I do hope they have cleaned out the warehouses of all the older stuff and now expend that first.””””

That is what we got rid of against Russia in Ukraine (largely what they were built for in the first place), we have been refilling those warehouses with new and improved/updated munitions/missiles, and some we didn’t replace because we have new devices or methods that do that job better than what was planned with 30 and 40 years ago.

[Retain Mike]

Thanks for the report.

[Retain Mike]

Thanks for the post.

[PeaRidge]

Get rid of all non-DoW employees along with the outdated munitions.

[delta7]

And they say their warehouses are full.

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Lie. Let me bring you up to speed:

https://caliber.az/en/post/rheinmetall-chief-warns-of-critical-ammunition-shortage-in-europe

Rheinmetall chief warns of critical ammunition shortage in Europe

12 March 2026 20:20
Armin Papperger, CEO of Germany’s largest arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, has warned of a critical ammunition shortage in Europe, cautioning that stockpiles would be exhausted within days in the event of actual combat...
In an interview with Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Papperger said, “Almost no one in Europe has enough [ammunition],” ....

You are making a fool of yourself. Your beloved EU is in the toilet, in many different sectors....and Vlad says Checkmate, again.

[TexasGator]

I see you updated Socrates with the correct name!

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Germany’s arms giant says it can flood Ukraine with ammo right now—if Western governments unlock funding

https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/02/17/germanys-arms-giant-says-it-can-flood-ukraine-with-ammo-right-now-if-western-governments-unlock-funding/

[TexasGator]

“St Z depleted much of our small arms “

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Zelenskyy told reporters Friday that the U.S. and Ukrainian working groups would focus on bilateral documents and discuss a wide-ranging drone deal during the weekend meeting.

Ukraine, eager to capitalize on its expertise in defending against Russian drone attacks, is also working to finalize agreements with eight Middle Eastern countries as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran escalates, the source said.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4371547/posts