A Month into the War: US Stockpiles Running Fast
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US military experts are increasingly concerned about the depletion of the Pentagon’s assets in the Middle East, as the war in the Persian Gulf, launched by Israel and the United States against Iran, enters its second month, with expectations that it will continue.
The surprise nighttime attack by Iranian drones a few days ago, which destroyed an E-3 AWACS reconnaissance aircraft and KC-135 refueling aircraft, along with other successful operations by Iranian forces or resistance groups in the region, has brought the issue of the depletion of US military resources to the forefront.
The US Air Force previously had more than 30 E-3 aircraft in service. Nearly half of them were retired in the late Obama administration due to high maintenance costs. The oldest of these aircraft are 50 years old, and the newest are 30. No new models have been produced since 1992, and the fleet continues to shrink. Currently, only half of the reconnaissance aircraft are combat-ready, and the majority—six aircraft—were based at the Saudi base that was successfully targeted. Had the Iranians possessed greater precision, they could have completely crippled American capabilities with a single strike. They have already destroyed billions of dollars’ worth of American ground-based radar and dome systems. Without AWACS aircraft, managing operations, whether in Europe or the Middle East, becomes significantly more complex.
Each AWACS aircraft costs approximately $500 million, and it was planned that they would be replaced by E-7 Wedgetail aircraft at a cost of $1.2 billion each. However, the administration of current US President Donald Trump decided in 2025 to cancel these contracts, redirecting the funds to the “Golden Dome” project, should it ever come to fruition.
The situation in other areas does not appear any better for the American side. The Houthis in Yemen have shot down at least 20 MQ-9 Reaper drones, while Iran has downed at least 12, representing roughly 20% of the Pentagon’s total arsenal. The Iranian armed forces have announced that they have shot down a total of 150 enemy drones since the start of the war.
The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers deployed in the region, numbering between 10 and 12, have consumed most of their Tomahawk missile stockpiles. Nearly all, or at least the vast majority, of the Patriot and THAAD batteries in the Middle East are out of service. Stockpiles of precision-guided munitions are running low.
In this context, it should be noted that any large-scale ground intervention risks further depleting the remaining military capabilities in the chaos of the Middle East, a topic that has been the subject of much discussion in recent days. This means the United States might embark on a new escalation in the war, either a limited or large-scale ground operation, which would undoubtedly result in further losses.
