US reportedly burned through quarter of critical missile interceptors in Israel defense

The U.S. reportedly burned through nearly a quarter of its supply of a critical missile defense system while defending Israel from Iranian strikes in June, two sources told CNN on Monday.

U.S. forces reportedly fired more than 100 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor missiles during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, accounting for around 25% of U.S. stockpiles, two sources with knowledge of the situation told CNN. The THAAD system is designed to intercept ballistic missiles, including intercontinental weapons, in their final phase of flight.

“The U.S. military is the strongest it has even been and has everything it needs to conduct any mission anywhere, anytime, all around the world,” Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said in a statement to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “If you need further proof, look no further than Operation Midnight Hammer and the total obliteration of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.”

Israel’s brief conflict with Iran ended shortly after the U.S. bombed key nuclear enrichment sites in the Islamic Republic, with assessments indicating significant damage to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

The interceptors are manufactured by Lockheed Martin, costing just over $12 million a unit to produce, according to CNN. For fiscal year 2026, the Pentagon is set to receive a grand total of $840 million from reconciliation and budget requests for the purchase of 37 THAAD units, according to FY 2026 budget documents.

Officials in the Pentagon, such as Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, have long sounded the alarm about shrinking U.S. weapons stockpiles due in part to prolonged engagements in the Middle East and Ukraine. Colby was reportedly behind a brief pause in shipments of Patriot missiles to Ukraine on July 2 in order to review U.S. reserves, a decision which was quickly reversed by President Donald Trump.

THAAD procurement is also a major component of Trump’s “Golden Dome” initiative, a project designed to protect the U.S. mainland from ballistic missile threats.

Latest posts by Wallace White (see all)

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.