What the dwindling U.S. missile stock means for the future

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

The United States military is running low on weapons, at least the weapons it has relied on for the war with Iran, now in its sixth month. This week, Reuters reported the U.S. is nearly out of certain long-range missiles, though the U.S. has other offensive weapons available. Perhaps more critically, the Center for Strategic and International Studies reported last month that the military has used up about two-thirds of its Patriot interceptors' defensive weapons against incoming fire.

NPR corroborated both reports with U.S. officials not authorized to discuss them. President Trump denies these reports. He posted online yesterday that the U.S. has, quote, "massive amounts of munitions, especially of certain types."

PHILLIPS O'BRIEN: Well, I mean, in the longer term, the United States didn't stockpile enough of these weapons. I think it went back to the fact that the United States has felt entirely secure. It fought the war on terror for 20 years, which was mostly a low-tech war.

O'BRIEN: The U.S. is out of the game. It can't make up this deficit for years. So the United States cannot fight China. It simply can't do it.

O'BRIEN: Well, how could it - if it has already eaten up more than half of its stockpiles of the Patriots, which you confirmed, how are they going to shoot down Chinese drones that can come in flocks of thousands and thousands? China is the biggest manufacturer in the world. The United States would eat up these stocks fighting China in a day or two. So I think the United States is absolutely out of the game as a military power in the Asia Pacific for a while until they get the ability to manufacture at scale.