President Donald Trump's administration is grappling with a stark reality that threatens both U.S. military readiness and regional security: the country has burned through nearly four-fifths of its THAAD missile inventory and roughly half of its Patriot interceptors since the start of the war with Iran, according to two sources familiar with the latest inventory report.
The topic dominated last week's Cabinet meeting at Camp David, where a frustrated Trump complained that public disclosures about dwindling stockpiles make the United States look weak precisely when he's threatening additional military action to pressure Iran into a deal. Six sources familiar with the meeting said Trump has known about the munitions problems for months but was angry that the information had been exposed at such a critical moment.
The Scale of Depletion
The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates the United States had around 2,200 Patriots and 452 THAAD missiles in its stockpile before the Iran war started. The rapid depletion of these critical air defense systems doesn't just worry American officials. Leaders across the Gulf have raised fresh concerns about how the shortage could impact their ability to ward off potential Iranian retaliation if Trump decides to escalate the ongoing conflict. Several of those countries rely on U.S. air defense systems, and Gulf leaders have acknowledged the stockpile shortage could hinder their own ability to intercept incoming Iranian missile and drone attacks, multiple officials said.
Iran has conveyed to Gulf nations that renewed American attacks would result in retaliation on energy sites or desalination facilities across the region, according to a regional official familiar with the conversations. Trump has spoken to the leaders of Qatar and Saudi Arabia over the past week about the war.
Hunting for Leakers
Trump wrote on Truth Social just after midnight on Thursday that the U.S. has "massive amounts of 'munitions,' especially of certain types," and claimed large amounts are being manufactured and shipped as needed. He said his administration would seek "long term jail sentences" for those found to have made the information public. Trump has tasked the Justice Department with finding what he calls "treasonous" individuals within the administration who are disclosing the information, according to officials.
Later, in the Oval Office, Trump admitted that certain munitions are in "tighter" supply, adding that there's a "virtual unlimited supply" of less-advanced weapons. So far, the president's ire hasn't been directed specifically at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House officials insist. In another Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump said he was "extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing." One official said, "He has never blamed Pete. This is all about the leakers."
Who Bears the Consequences
As Trump grows angry at the narrative emerging on the stockpiles, officials in the White House have speculated the leaks come from anti-war officials within the administration who are determined to push Trump to extricate the United States from the conflict, the senior White House official said. The stockpile issue was raised again prior to the president's decision last weekend to cancel new strikes on Iran, CNN has previously reported. It marked at least the second time in recent weeks that Trump's senior military advisers have specifically voiced concerns about the dwindling number of key U.S. munitions during discussions about potentially escalating the conflict with Iran.
Before the war began, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and other military leaders warned Trump that a protracted military campaign could impact U.S. weapons stockpiles, particularly those that support Israel and Ukraine, multiple sources familiar with the matter previously told CNN. Trump has blamed the previous administration for allowing the stockpiles to be depleted, including through weapons shipments to Ukraine. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on July 27, "We have a lot. I'd like to have more, to be honest, but so much was given to Ukraine by Biden."
Production Response
In July, Trump met with the CEOs of top defense contractors at the White House as his administration presses the firms to ramp up production of critical weapons. The participants included Lockheed Martin, which produces both the THAAD and Patriot interceptors. A similar meeting took place in March, at the onset of the war. Also last month, Trump invoked the Defense Production Act to force defense companies to manufacture more weapons. In a document, he wrote that he finds "that conditions exist which may pose a direct threat to the national defense or its preparedness programs."
Questions about the munitions stockpiles date back to the early days of the conflict. In meetings then, Trump raised the issue with Hegseth after news outlets reported on the concerns. At that time, Hegseth assured the president that the Pentagon was working to address the issue.
Why This Matters:
The depletion of America's air defense arsenal reveals the human costs of prolonged military engagement without adequate planning for industrial capacity. Gulf nations that depend on U.S. defense systems now face heightened vulnerability to Iranian attacks on critical infrastructure like desalination facilities that millions of civilians rely on for drinking water. The administration's focus on prosecuting leakers rather than transparently addressing the strategic crisis raises questions about democratic accountability in wartime decision-making. When military advisers warn that munitions shortages should constrain escalation, but those warnings become grounds for leak investigations rather than policy reassessment, the public loses its ability to evaluate whether the conflict serves national interests or simply momentum. The stockpile crisis also exposes the consequences of decades of underinvestment in defense manufacturing capacity, leaving the country unable to sustain the military posture its leaders project to adversaries.