Supply and demand: US weapons inventories under pressure

>> John: THE U.S. INDUSTRIAL. BASE IS WORKING OVERTIME TO MEET. WEAPONS DEMANDS AMID THE. CONFLICT IN IRAN AND PROTECTION. FOR MIDDLE EAST AND PACIFIC. ALLIES. TONIGHT SPECIAL REPORT ANCHOR. BRET BAIER LOOKS AT U.S. MIDDLE. TEARY READINESS. >> THE U.S. HAS USED MORE THAN.

HALF OF ITS STOCKPILES IN THE. CONFLICT WITH IRAN. WE TAKE STOCK OF OUR WEAPONS. INVENTORY AND THE EFFORT TO. REBUILD IT. >> 3, 2, 1, LAUNCH. >> THE CONFLICT IN IRAN IS. PUTTING PRESSURE ON U.S. WEAPONS. STOCKPILES. ALMOST A THIRD OF TOMAHAWK. MISSILES HAVE BEEN USED. NEARLY 2/3s OF PATRIOT. INTERCEPTERS HAVE BEEN DEPLETED.

MORE THAN HALF OF PRECISION. STRIKE MISSILES REMAIN. >> WE HAVE PLENTY. WE HAVE A LOT OF AMMUNITION. MORE THAN WE COULD EVER USE NO. MATTER WHAT. BUT WE HAVE A LOT. I'D LIKE TO HAVE MORE, TO BE. HONEST. >> THE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL. STUDIES SAYS THE U.S. HAS. MISSILES TO CONTINUE FIGHTING IN. IRAN UNDER ANY SCENARIO. PENTAGON OFFICIALS ARE ALSO. CONCERNED ABOUT TOMORROW'S WARS. >> WE CAN GO ON AGAINST IRAN FOR. QUITE A LONG TIME. THE RISK IS ABOUT A FUTURE.

CONFLICT IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC. >> RETIRED MARINE COLONEL AND. CSIS DEFENSE SENIOR ADVISERS. POINTS TO REPORTS THAT OFFICIALS. HAVE GROWN WORRIED ABOUT THE. SHRINKING STOCKPILE WHEN IT. COMES TO CHINA. >> THIS WAS A MAJOR TOPIC AND. REASON FOR THE SUSPENSION OF AIR. ATTACKS. >> CSIS ANALYZED SEVEN KEY. MUNITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN.

EFFECTIVE IN IRAN. ENTER CENTER STOCKPILES ARE. RUNNING LOWER THAN MILITARY. OFFICIALS WOULD LIKE. >> OUR INVENTORIES ARE GETTING. WAY BELOW WHAT THE WAR PLANNERS. WANTED. THAT MIGHT ENCOURAGE CHINA TO DO. SOMETHING AND THEREFORE IT WAS. NOW A CONSIDERATION FOR. CONTINUING THE WAR AGAINST IRAN. >> THE GROUP NOTES THAT. ADDITIONAL MUNITIONS STOCKPILES.

ARE SUBSTANTIAL. IT COULD TAKE YEARS TO. REPLENISH. THERE'S A CONCERN ABOUT OUR. ABILITY TO MAKE ENOUGH MISSILES. AND MAKE ENOUGH AMMUNITION. THERE'S REAL DOUBTEDS ACTED. WHERE WE ARE AS A COUNTRY. DO YOU SHARE THOSE CONCERNS AND. WHAT DO YOU THINK WE ARE DOING. ABOUT IT AS A COUNTRY? >> I HAVE REAL CONCERNS ABOUT. OUR DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE AND. GOD FORBID WE FIND OURSELVES IN. A LENGTHY SERIOUS WAR AND OUR. ABILITY TO PRODUCE WHAT WE NEED. >> THE PENTAGON'S BUDGET.

INCLUDES 5.8 BILLION FOR. TOMAHAWK MISSILES. UP 513% FROM FISCAL YEAR 2026. THE REQUEST FOR PRECISION STRIKE. MISSILES IS 245% HIGHER. TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AIR. DEFENSE WERE UP 50%. AND PATRIOTS WERE UP 927%. >> THE INVENTORY HAS NOTICEABLY. DECREASED BECAUSE OF THE WAR IN. IRAN.

THERE'S THIS REQUEST FOR A LOT. MORE SPENDING THAN PREVIOUS. YEARS. WHAT IS YOUR SINCE OF THE. STOCKPILES? >> LISTEN, IF IT'S A 1.5. TRILLION PACKAGE FOR DEFENSE, I'M ALL IN. I REALLY AM. THE MUNITIONS WILL BE THERE. WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO WHAT WE. HAVE TO DO TO PROTECT THE WORLD. AND THE REGION. >> IT WILL TAKE YEARS FOR THE. MUNITIONS TO REACH THE.

BATTLEFIELD. >> DEPLETING THE STOCKPILES. LEAVES THE U.S. MATERIALLY WORSE. OFF THAN IT OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE. BEEN. >> YOU THINK THAT MONEY WILL. HELP REBUILD SHRINKING. STOCKPILES? >> IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT WE HAVE A. DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL BASE THAT. NEEDS TO BE FIXED AT A VERY. CRITICAL TIME IN OUR HISTORY. WITH THE CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE. EAST, PRESIDENT XI OF CHINA IS. WATCHING OUR STOCKPILES CLOSELY. AS HE LOOKS AT THE TAIWAN.

STRAITS. SO IT ALL KIND OF FACTORS IN. TOGETHER. >> THE PATRIOT MISSILES. REQUESTED IN THE 2027 BUDGET. WON'T BE AVAIL-FOR ANOTHER 3 1/2. YEARS. THE TOMAHAWK TIMELINE IS FOUR. YEARS. SOME ORDERS COULD TAKE AS LONG. AS FIVE YEARS. >> BEFORE THE WAR, IT WOULD. TYPICALLY TAKE ABOUT TWO YEARS. FOR THE FIRST SYSTEM TO ARRIVE.

WITH THE WAR, THOSE TIMELINES. HAVE BEEN EXTENDED. >> U.S. MANUFACTURERS ARE. WORKING TO INCREASE PRODUCTION. CAPACITY FOR KEY MUNITIONS. FRAME WORK AGREEMENTS BETWEEN. CONTRACTORS AND THE TRUMP. ADMINISTRATION WILL ALLOW FOR. NEW FACILITIES AMBITIOUS TIME. LINES AND ADDITIONAL WEAPONS. SYSTEMS. >> YOU CAN INCREASE PRODUCTION. WE'RE DOING THAT. FIRST YOU HAVE TO RECRUIT MORE. PEOPLE AND TRAIN THEM UP. THEN YOU CAN EXPAND YOUR. FACILITIES, BUT THAT TAKES TIME. YOU HAVE TO BUILD THE FACILITIES.

AND GET THE PERMITS AND. EVERYTHING ELSE. SO YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE DONE. WE'RE SEEING IT HAPPEN, BUT YOU. KNOW, AGAIN, IT TAKES TIME. >> THROUGHOUT OUR SERIES, WE. WILL EXPLORE NEW EFFORTS TO. REBUILD THE WEAPON SUPPLY CHAIN. FROM INCREASING PRODUCTION. CAPACITY TO TESTING.