A large portion of the US armed forces’ stockpile of advanced ballistic threat interception missiles was used to defend Israel during the war with Iran, according to a revealing report by the Washington Post. At the same time, according to the Washington Post, Israeli armed forces appear to have consumed a smaller percentage of their own weapons stockpiles during the conflict.
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Specifically, the US launched more than 200 THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missiles to defend Israel, or approximately half of its total stockpile. They also deployed over 100 SM-3 and SM-6 missiles, which are primarily used for intercepting missile threats and were launched from ships in the Mediterranean.
Washington Post: Israel preserved its own stockpiles
In contrast, the Washington Post continues, Israel launched fewer than 100 Arrow missiles and approximately 90 David Sling missiles. Some of these were used against Houthi missiles from Yemen, which are considered easier to intercept than Iranian ones.
In practice, as experts who spoke to the American newspaper noted, “the US took on the majority of the missile defense mission, while Israel preserved its own stockpiles.” Even if the operational logic behind the decision was sound, the US will need to replenish its stockpiles, which will take many months – if not years.
Should attacks resume and Iran respond with ballistic missiles, the pressure on stockpiles will become even greater, putting the US in a difficult position.
