US warns allies of up to five-year delays in missile and air-defense deliveries after Iran war depleted stockpiles
The United States has told allies, including Ukraine, to expect delays of up to five years in deliveries of key missile systems and air-defense equipment because US forces depleted their own arsenals during a war with Iran. Germany, Eastern European buyers of US weapons and Japan are all affected, and the Pentagon's decision to prioritize rebuilding its own stockpiles is complicating Ukraine's efforts to secure additional Patriot interceptors ahead of a difficult winter.
Key points
- The US has warned allies of delivery delays of up to five years for key missile and air-defense systems as it rebuilds stockpiles depleted in the Iran war.
- Germany asked Washington to accelerate delivery of Tomahawk cruise missiles and Typhon ground-based launchers; Raytheon is unlikely to fulfill the German order within five years.
- The Pentagon's priority on its own stocks complicates Ukraine's efforts to obtain additional Patriot interceptors ahead of a difficult winter.
- Estimates cited in reporting say the US used more than half of its most modern Patriot missiles, about a third of its Tomahawk stocks, and nearly half of its THAAD precision-strike and interceptor missiles during the Iran war.
- President Donald Trump said he is discussing with Ukraine either providing a "significantly less advanced version" of the Patriot system or issuing licenses to European countries to produce it.
- Lockheed Martin is working to raise annual PAC-3 MSE interceptor production from roughly 600 to 2,000 units.
- Air defense for Ukraine is to be a key topic at UN meetings in New York the following week.
Why it matters
Ukraine's ability to obtain additional Patriot interceptors is now directly complicated by the Pentagon's priority on rebuilding its own stockpiles, with a difficult winter expected. The shortage is global in scope, hitting European allies such as Germany, other Eastern European users of US systems, and Japan with multi-year delays. Analysts cited in the reporting link the deficit less to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East than to structural weaknesses in the US and allied defense-industrial base. Ukraine's air-defense needs are also slated to be a key topic at upcoming UN meetings in New York, raising the diplomatic stakes of the shortage.
What happened
The United States has warned allies to expect delays of up to five years in deliveries of key missile and air-defense systems because American forces depleted their own stockpiles during a war with Iran. Bloomberg, citing its sources, reported that several European countries expect such delays, and that Germany has asked Washington to accelerate delivery of Tomahawk long-range cruise missiles and Typhon ground-based launchers; producer Raytheon is unlikely to fulfill the German order within five years because of US missile shortages. Some Eastern European countries reliant on US weapons began experiencing delays shortly after the US and Israel began their war against Iran on 28 February. The Pentagon's decision to prioritize replenishing its own stocks is complicating Ukraine's efforts to obtain additional Patriot interceptors ahead of a difficult winter. According to estimates cited in reporting, the US used more than half of its most modern Patriot missiles, about a third of its Tomahawk stocks, and nearly half of its THAAD precision-strike and interceptor missiles during the war; the Congressional Budget Office estimates the US military may have used up to two-thirds of its missile-defense interceptor stocks since June 2025. Earlier in the week, US President Donald Trump said he was discussing with Ukraine either providing a "significantly less advanced version" of the Patriot system or issuing licenses to European countries to produce it, while EU officials are separately pushing Washington to grant such production licenses. Lockheed Martin is working to raise annual PAC-3 MSE interceptor production from roughly 600 to 2,000 units. Air defense for Ukraine is set to be a key topic at UN meetings in New York the following week.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on the state of US missile stocks. Media reports, citing officials, say Patriot interceptor stocks are "dangerously low" — around 80% used — and that officials warned Vice President JD Vance of a critical Patriot shortage; The New York Times reported the warning came during the summer. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and the White House have denied reports of key missile-stock depletion. President Trump denied shortages on 6 August and threatened media sources with imprisonment over the reporting, then acknowledged on 7 August that stocks of certain types of ammunition had become more limited. There is also a discrepancy on timing: one supplied article dates the start of the US–Israel war against Iran to February 2026, while other supplied facts place the start on 28 February without specifying the year.
Background
The US and Israel began their war against Iran on 28 February (one supplied article places this in February 2026). According to estimates cited in the facts, the US used more than half of its most modern Patriot missiles, about a third of its Tomahawk stocks, and nearly half of its THAAD precision-strike and interceptor missiles during that war. Lockheed Martin is working to raise annual production of PAC-3 MSE interceptors from roughly 600 to 2,000 units. In April the US told Japan that Tomahawk deliveries would be delayed by up to two years. EU officials are seeking US licenses for European production of Patriot missiles that could later be transferred to Kyiv. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the war against Iran cost the US budget about $38 billion in direct spending in its first five months. Reuters reported on 4 August that the US used nearly all of its ATACMS and Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) stockpiles and almost half of the world's Tomahawk cruise missile stockpiles during the five-month war; the Pentagon and the White House denied that report. The Washington Post reported that in August the Pentagon sent a memorandum to leading US defense companies urging them to urgently increase arms production. Experts cited in the reporting attribute the current US missile and ammunition shortage less to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East than to structural weaknesses in the US and allied defense-industrial base.