MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
The war with Iran has seriously depleted U.S. missile stockpiles, both offensive and defensive. Now, we've talked on this program before about the stockpile of defensive Patriot missiles. That stockpile has dropped by about two-thirds since the war began. Well, now a Reuters report, confirmed by NPR, says the Army has used up most of its long-range attack missiles during the war, and that's raising concerns not just in this war with Iran but also for future conflicts. NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman is here. Hey, Tom.
TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Hello there.
KELLY: OK, what are these Army missiles that we're talking about?
BOWMAN: Well, two missiles in particular, according to a U.S. official not authorized to speak. The first is called ATACMS - for the Army Tactical Missile System - which is fired from an armored vehicle with two launchers that kind of look like a pack of cigarettes. And it's a precision weapon, a range of nearly 200 miles, so it could be fired from American bases in the Middle East - probably closer to the coast to hit targets inside Iran. The other attack missile is called the PrSM. Another acronym, of course. This is the military.
KELLY: Of course, yeah.
BOWMAN: And stands for Precision Strike Missiles. And its range? About 300 miles, so deeper into Iran when you fire it. Now, one benefit of these missiles, besides the precision, is that they are what's called standoff weapons, which means they can be fired from pretty far away, so you don't have to worry about, let's say, an American pilot getting too close to an enemy's air defenses.
KELLY: When we say the Army is short on these missiles, how short? How many are left?
BOWMAN: Well, no details on the numbers of these missiles that have been used. And of course, there have been more than 15,000 Iranian targets hit during the war. Now, it appears, at least as we're talking now, that a return to massive U.S. airstrikes seems unlikely. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says it appears Oman and Iran are close to a deal to manage the Strait of Hormuz, and that could lead to it reopening. And then further, you know, maybe indirect talks with the U.S. and Iran could lead from that.
KELLY: Huh. OK, but beyond Iran, what about the concern I raised for future conflicts? What are we talking?
BOWMAN: Well, in a word, China. These attack missiles would be key in any conflict with China. The likelihood of that happening now is low. U.S. officials say China won't have the ability to assault Taiwan until next year. And that's capability. It doesn't mean they'll do it.
KELLY: Yeah.
BOWMAN: But if they do, then the role for the U.S., what will that be? And what are the threats to U.S. forces in the region? That's why it's crucial to have adequate stockpiles of both offensive and defensive weapons like the Patriot, and that stockpile has dropped quite a bit, as we've talked about. At the start of the war, there were nearly 2,400 Patriot missiles. Now that's down to between 700 and 850, and that's according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The exact number are classified. And I'm told by a U.S. official, those numbers from CSIS are pretty accurate.
KELLY: OK, so down to somewhere between 750, 800 or so. What are Pentagon officials, U.S. officials you speak to saying about this?
BOWMAN: Well, not much because it's classified. And the Trump administration, frankly, has been all over the map on the issue. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said back in June, media reports of depleted stockpiles were manufactured stories. But two months earlier, he said it's going to take months or years to rebuild missile stockpiles. And then on the Sunday talk show, U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz on NBC's "Meet The Press" said Patriot missile stockpiles were depleted because President Biden sent too many to Ukraine and also used them to defend against the Houthis. Neither is true because Ukraine didn't get that many Patriots. And also the Houthis, their missiles were shot down by ship-launched missiles, not land-based Patriots.
KELLY: Reporting from NPR's Tom Bowman. Thank you Tom.
BOWMAN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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