On Tuesday, amid new reports that President Donald Trump’s war with Iran has burned through “virtually all” of the United States’ long-range precision missiles, a noted security expert suggested an ironic twist to the situation.
Read more Here are the signs Trump is preparing to die: psychologist
“Trump stands out historically in one way,” declared Phillips P. O’Brien, a distinguished professor of strategic studies who has authored several bestselling books on the history of war strategy. “He has demilitarized the US military more quickly than any other political leader in US history. A full blown pacifist would have struggled to throw away weapons faster than he has.”
O’Brien’s assertion came in response to a new bombshell report from Reuters, which revealed that “the U.S. Army has used up much of its global stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during its five-month war with Iran, according to three people familiar with the data, raising concerns about the military’s readiness for future conflicts. The missiles are principally the Army’s surface-to-surface weapons, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). The U.S. has used ‘virtually all’ of these weapons, according to two of the sources.”
As Reuters explained, “The long-range munitions – which cost more than $1 million each – are an important part of the military’s arsenal, allowing accurate strikes from a safe distance. U.S.-supplied ATACMS have played a key role in the war in Ukraine, allowing Ukrainian forces to attack targets inside Russia. The PrSM is a newer, more advanced generation that will replace the ATACMS, which have a shorter range. The dramatic rundown in precision, long-range missiles means U.S. President Donald Trump may have to rely more on riskier, piloted bombing missions if he relaunches large-scale attacks on Iran.”
Read more GOP senator blew off Epstein survivors after on-camera pledge to meet them
According to Reuters national security correspondent Erin Banco, data about the shortage has been “circulating around” the administration, prompting “tense discussions” in the White House in recent days. Per the report, “Military leaders have for weeks warned the president that stockpiles of defensive weapons — including Patriot interceptors, which are effective against ballistic missiles — were dwindling, said two of the sources. Last week, several media outlets reported Trump had decided not to launch another massive offensive inside Iran in part because his military advisers had warned about the U.S. stockpile.”
A recent report also found “that between February and July about 65 percent of Patriot interceptors had been expended and that the number of THAAD ballistic missile interceptors in U.S. stockpiles was at least 38 percent lower than at the start of the war. Patriots and THAADs are systems that detect and destroy incoming missiles and are among the most effective in the country’s arsenal.” What’s more, “the U.S. also burned through a little less than half of its global supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are generally launched from ships, since the start of the war, one of the sources said.”
O’Brien wasn’t the only commentator to respond with sarcasm. “Hard to know if the Iran war’s been a success,” posted Atlantic contributor Derek Thompson. “On the one hand, we’ve failed to achieve our main objectives, driven up the price of various commodities, and shown Iran that they can squeeze the Strait of Hormuz. On the other hand, all it took was the virtual exhaustion of our entire long-range precision missile supplies.”
Read more White House agenda in meltdown as Trump drifts ‘further from reality’
