U.S. Fires 200 THAAD Interceptors for Israel, Halving Inventory as Iran War Strains Readiness
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · May 21
U.S. Fires 200 THAAD Interceptors for Israel, Halving Inventory as Iran War Strains Readiness
1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · May 21
More than 200 THAAD interceptors — about half the Pentagon’s stockpile — and 100-plus SM-3 and SM-6 missiles were fired by U.S. forces defending Israel during Operation Epic Fury, officials said.
That left the United States carrying most of the ballistic-missile defense burden: Israel used fewer than 100 Arrow interceptors and about 90 David’s Sling interceptors, while U.S. forces reportedly engaged twice as many Iranian missiles.
Roughly 200 THAAD interceptors remain, analysts said, with production unable to keep pace, raising concern among allies such as Japan and South Korea that rely on U.S. missile-defense capacity.
The drawdown could deepen if fighting resumes, officials said, because some Israeli missile-defense batteries are offline for maintenance even as Washington has moved additional naval assets near Israel.
The imbalance adds to wider U.S.-Israeli tensions over the war, which has strained munitions, left Iran with about 70% of its prewar missile stockpile and complicated Trump’s decision on whether to restart strikes.
With U.S. missile stockpiles drained in the Mideast, how vulnerable are American forces now in Asia?
As cheap drones empty billion-dollar arsenals, is America’s high-tech defense strategy becoming financially obsolete?