As per the SIPRI report, the US has used missile interceptors in West Asia at a pace far exceeding its current production levels, warning that some inventories won’t fully recover until 2029.
Image: IANS
Amid the ongoing West Asia conflict, the United States is faced with alarming depletion of missile defence stockpiles as the war with Iran continues to simmer, pushing Ukraine and Taiwan into anxiety as to how long would the projectiles last, according to a report from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
As per the SIPRI report, the US has used missile interceptors in West Asia at a pace far exceeding its current production levels, warning that some inventories won’t fully recover until 2029.
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Defence paraphernalia specially strained by this state of affairs are anti-air systems, such as Patriot and THAAD interceptors, central to shielding cities and military infrastructure from missile and drone attacks.
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The SIPRI report said that the Pentagon received only 172 Patriot interceptors during the 2026 fiscal year, but has already used over 1,000 during the Iran conflict so far.
The shortage has started affecting other war theatres. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, writing to US President Donald Trump this week, requested urgent supplies of interceptors following large-scale Russian missile attacks on Kyiv, Axios reported.
Russia had earlier launched dozens of cruise, ballistic and hypersonic missiles during recent strikes, according to Ukrainian officials, while Kyiv is running low on interceptor batteries.
“When it comes to defending against ballistic missiles, we rely almost exclusively on the United States,” Zelensky said, warning there was “hardly anything more painful to see than Patriot batteries with no missiles loaded.”
Taiwanese, meanwhile, too are in a tizzy faced with increasing anxiety about China. The backlog of delayed US munitions deliveries is touching almost $30 billion.
That wait list includes the Patriot missiles, Taipei’s highest priority.
“We understand there are many geopolitical conflicts around the world. Sometimes the U.S. has the need to replenish its own stockpile,” Chen Ming-chi said, adding, “It will be very difficult to resupply” in the event of a conflict with Beijing.
The Pentagon has already begun pressuring defence contractors to accelerate production.
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