US defense missile shortage may persist until 2030
The former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, General Randy George, warned that the stockpile of American defensive missiles— including Patriot missiles and the THAAD system— will continue to decline until 2030. This is due to increasing pressures on the limited-production military arsenal and ongoing conflicts, especially with the consumption of munitions in the defense of Israel and the transfer of missiles to Ukraine. Estimates indicate that the United States began 2026 with approximately 2,300 Patriot missiles, of which between 1,050 and 1,430 were used during the war with Iran— about 61% of the stockpile. The inventories for the THAAD system were around 355 missiles, with between 190 and 290 used. The decrease in stockpiles is depleting U.S. missile defense capabilities, which could take until 2030 to replenish, thereby impairing the ability to handle multiple military crises simultaneously.
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