USA Would Need at Least Three Years to Replenish Weapons Stockpiles After War With Iran

American defense contractors will need at least three years to rebuild stockpiles of three major weapons systems that were heavily used during the war with Iran.

According to the Associated Press (AP), citing a new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the shortage could weaken the US military’s firepower in the event of a possible conflict with China.

The affected systems include Tomahawk cruise missiles and interceptor missiles used by Patriot and THAAD air defense systems.

“The United States has enough ammunition for any likely war scenario with Iran, but the depleted stockpiles have created a vulnerability in the event of a potential conflict in the Western Pacific,” CSIS reported.

The analysis is based on the US defense budget proposal for 2027 submitted by the administration of Donald Trump, which totals $1.5 trillion. The document outlines a significant increase in spending on high-tech munitions.

Despite bipartisan support in Congress for replenishing weapons stockpiles, the main challenge is no longer funding, but time.

CSIS notes that expanding production capacity and manufacturing complex missile systems takes years. As a result, the period of vulnerability will last at least until stockpiles are restored to previous levels, while reaching the volumes considered necessary by military planners will take even longer.

Although the exact size of US ammunition stockpiles remains classified, CSIS analysts say publicly available Pentagon budget documents are sufficient to estimate production rates.

US President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claim that the American military is prepared for any potential conflict.

Meanwhile, they are pressing defense contractors to increase ammunition production as quickly as possible. Last month, Hegseth told lawmakers that defense spending under the Trump administration would help manufacturers double or even triple their output.

The issue of shrinking ammunition stockpiles became one of the main topics during recent hearings in Congress.

Democrats are using this argument to criticize the war with Iran, which Trump launched without approval from lawmakers.