NYT: US critical munitions stocks fall to lowest levels in decades

 U.S. Vice President JD Vance held direct calls with American military commanders in the Middle East, Europe and Asia during the spring and summer to seek candid assessments of the war with Iran and its impact on U.S. military readiness, according to current and former U.S. officials speaking to The New York Times.

The officials said Vance also asked commanders to provide detailed assessments of their remaining weapons stocks and explain how transferring additional weapons to the Middle East could affect the U.S. military’s ability to deter potential threats from China, Russia and North Korea.

Commanders reportedly expressed particular concern about dwindling supplies of Patriot air-defence interceptors, which are a key component of U.S. and allied air-defence systems. By late spring, one U.S. military theatre reportedly had fewer than 100 Patriot interceptors remaining.

The officials also said the conflict had significantly reduced stocks of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which can strike targets at ranges of up to about 190 miles, as well as newer Precision Strike Missiles intended to replace them.

According to the officials, stocks of several critical munitions had fallen to their lowest levels in decades.

The account is based on interviews with more than six current and former U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing sensitive military information.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump was receiving increasingly detailed briefings from Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about pressure on U.S. weapons inventories and the resilience of Iranian forces, according to the officials.

Trump initially found some of the assessments regarding Iran’s ability to sustain its military operations difficult to accept, the officials said.