U.S. Weapon Stockpiles Depleted as Ukraine Aid Accelerates, Officials Warn

A senior U.S. official disclosed that the bulk of the country's ATACMS and a substantial portion of PrSM missiles have been dispatched to Ukraine, virtually emptying the U.S. long-range missile stockpile. The transfers were included in a $300 million aid package signed by President Biden in March and were concealed to preserve operational secrecy, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. To meet Ukraine's artillery demand, the Pentagon has begun pulling ammunition from overseas prepositioned stores in Israel, South Korea, Germany and Kuwait.

This rapid depletion follows a series of drawdowns that have already exhausted U.S. strategic reserves, prompting worries about the United States' ability to respond to a potential peer conflict. Production lines at Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are being expanded, but current output will not keep pace with the rate of exports. Critics argue the policy risks compromising national security while attempting to sustain Ukraine's war effort.