#Tomahawk missiles, which can be launched from Navy surface warships & submarines, have been a staple of #US #military attacks since they were first used in combat in 1991 during the Persian Gulf War. But only a few hundred are manufactured each year, meaning the global supply is limited. The #Pentagon does not publicly disclose how many missiles are in its inventory at any one time.

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…The heavy reliance on them in the #Iran #war will require urgent discussions about relocating some from other parts of the world, including the Indo-Pacific, & a concerted long-term effort to build more, said several US ofcls….

The dilemma has laid bare broader concerns in both the #Pentagon & #Congress about the #Trump admin’s war in #Iran, its shifting explanations for why it’s necessary, & the risks a shortage could pose to the #US as it balances the potential for future conflicts….

The #Pentagon has tracked the number of Tomahawks used with an increasing focus on what the burn rate will mean for not only for a sustained campaign against #Iran but for future #military operations as well…. One official characterized the number of Tomahawks left in the #MiddleEast as “alarmingly low,” while another said that without intervention, the Pentagon is closing in on “Winchester”—military slang meaning out of ammunition—for its supply of #Tomahawk missiles in the Middle East.

#Trump

…The most recent versions of the #Tomahawk missile can cost as much as $3.6 million a piece & require up to 2 years to build, acc/to Navy documents. In recent years, they have been purchased in small batches, with just 57 included in last year’s defense budget.

Many of the 850+ expended Tomahawks were fired in the opening days of Operation Epic Fury, the #Trump admin’s [ridiculous] name for the #war in #Iran, people familiar with the matter said.

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…The #US #military also has fired >1,000 air-defense interceptor missiles in response to #Iran counterattacks across the region, including from the #Patriot & Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (#THAAD) systems, which are considered the world’s most advanced, 2 other officials familiar with the issue said. The inventory of those weapons also is limited & not publicly disclosed.

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…MacKenzie Eaglen, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said that before Operation Epic Fury began late last month, the Navy probably had 4,000–4,500 #Tomahawk missiles on hand. Others naval analysts have said the number could be much lower, perhaps closer to 3,000, following their extensive use in recent operations, including the #Trump admin’s strikes last year in #Iran, #Yemen & #Nigeria.

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Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at CSIS, said if the #military has fired >800 #Tomahawks against #Iran, “that would be about a quarter of the total inventory & would leave a large gap for a conflict in the Western Pacific.” His think tank assesses that the Navy may have had as few as 3,100 Tomahawks on hand at the start of the #war a month ago.

“It would take several years to replenish,” Cancian said.

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