Missiles to munitions: Does the US risk running out of key weapons?

Key Takeaways

• While US officials publicly project confidence in weapons stockpiles, analysts say dwindling munitions may be shaping Washington’s calculations over whether to resume the war on Iran.
• On Thursday, the acting United States Navy secretary, Hung Cao, was asked by a Senate committee about $14bn in weapons sales to Taiwan that Congress has approved but that President Donald Trump needs to sign off on.
• “Right now we’re doing a pause,” said Cao, “in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury – which we have plenty.” Epic Fury is the name of the US military operation that the Trump administration launched on February 28 against Iran.
• Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio has since stated that Epic Fury was over, so Cao’s comments on needing munitions for the operation appeared to contradict the US’s top diplomat.
• But the Navy secretary’s comments on needing munitions for the Iran war also hit at another contradiction between the administration’s claims and the facts.