US Munitions Stockpile Under Severe Strain: CSIS Report

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CBS News’ Lindsey Reiser cites sharp depletion in Tomahawk and Patriot missile inventories, warns of future vulnerability in potential China conflict

By TRH World Desk

April 25, 2026 — A fresh analysis has cast doubt on earlier claims by Donald Trump that the United States possesses a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions, with new data suggesting that ongoing conflicts have significantly depleted key weapons reserves.

Breaking down the findings on CBS News, anchor Lindsey Reiser highlighted a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which warns that the Pentagon’s stockpile is under mounting strain.

“Remember when President Trump said the US has a virtually unlimited supply of munitions? … A new analysis finds the conflict is actually taking a toll on the Pentagon stockpile,” Reiser said.

According to CSIS, the US may have expended more than half of its pre-war inventory of at least four key munitions. Among them are the long-range Tomahawk missile systems, widely used for precision strikes.

The report estimates that before the conflict, the US held over 3,000 Tomahawk missiles. More than 1,000 have already been used, each costing approximately $2.6 million and requiring up to four years for delivery.

Defensive capabilities have also been impacted. The US had over 2,000 Patriot missile system interceptors before the war—designed to neutralize incoming threats such as ballistic missiles. Roughly half of that stockpile has now been depleted, with each unit costing around $3.9 million.

Speaking to CBS News, CSIS co-author Mark Hansen warned that while current demand levels may be sustainable, a larger or more intense conflict—particularly involving China—could expose serious shortfalls.

“In a conflict with China, we didn’t have enough to start with, and of course now we’re further behind,” Hansen said. “It will take years to rebuild those inventories… and that produces a window of vulnerability.”

The concern is particularly acute for high-end munitions that cannot be quickly replenished due to long manufacturing timelines and limited industrial capacity.

The issue is compounded by production bottlenecks. Companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon—key manufacturers of advanced missile systems—may take years to significantly scale up output.

Senior US military officials have echoed these concerns. The head of the United States Indo-Pacific Command recently told lawmakers that ramping up production of systems such as the Tomahawk missile is a long-term effort, not a quick fix.

While analysts point to lower-cost options such as drones and counter-drone technologies, these systems are not effective substitutes against high-end threats like ballistic missiles, leaving a critical gap in layered defence capabilities.

The CSIS report ultimately underscores a growing strategic dilemma: as the US continues to supply and deploy advanced munitions, replenishing those reserves may lag dangerously behind evolving geopolitical risks.