Pete Hegseth’s Iran Missile Depletion Worries U.S. Allies

Eric Lee / Reuters U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region are increasingly worried that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will leave them defenseless against China as the American military burns through weapons stockpiles thanks to President Donald Trump’s war with Iran .

South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan all rely on Washington to supply long-range weapons and defense munitions that would be crucial in a fight against China.

But over the past six months, the U.S. has depleted an estimated one-quarter to one-third of its pre-war stockpile of Tomahawk missiles, one-quarter of its Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, up to three-quarters of its 90 Precision Strike Missiles, and most of its defensive THAAD interceptors and Patriot missiles, The Washington Post reported.

Those drawdowns have left allies deeply concerned about U.S. readiness for a conflict with China, which has increased its military presence across the region, according to the Post.

A Taiwanese official told the paper that “significant delays” were expected for advanced Pac-3 Patriot missiles, which destroy incoming ballistic and cruise missiles.

Defense experts told the Post that Taiwan was not likely to receive all 102 Patriot missiles it’s expecting because the U.S. needs to refill its own stockpiles and replenish its Gulf state allies’ supplies.

Japan has also been warned it should expect possible delays in defense shipments, including 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles, according to an Asian diplomat.

The Financial Times reported in May that the weapons could be two years late.

“The situation is very challenging,” the Taiwanese official told the Post.

At the same time, Beijing has held unprecedented military drills around Taiwan, expanded military infrastructure on disputed reefs in the South China Sea, and completed its first known test of a sea-based nuclear-capable missile.

Although the U.S. is involved in several military conflicts around the globe, the war with Iran in particular has called for the same type of long-range weapons that would be needed in a maritime-heavy conflict in the Pacific.

Simulations show that an invasion of Taiwan would probably exceed the Pentagon’s current supply, with critical weapons exhausted within weeks, according to the Post.

China’s defenses are more advanced than Iran’s, increasing reliance on long-range missiles.

A Defense Department official told the Post that “the Joint Force remains postured, ready, and capable of deterring aggression” in the Indo-Pacific, and said it’s routine to move U.S. military resources between combatant commands.