March 10, 2026
Iran’s Cheap, Plentiful Weaponry Puts U.S. Military Under Unprecedented Strain
This article was originally published in Bloomberg.
When the first cruise missiles began detonating inside Iran, the strikes had all the hallmarks of previous successful U.S. military campaigns — unstoppable, overwhelming force delivered without warning.
U.S. forces have been forced to dig deep into inventories of expensive, hard-to-replace interceptors to counter the Iranian barrage.
But as the conflict extends toward a third week, the U.S. war effort is showing unexpected signs of strain against an adversary whose military budget is smaller than the GDP of Vermont — but which has an arsenal of missiles and drones unlike anything the U.S. has ever faced.
Read the full article in Bloomberg.
More from CNAS
-
Expert Discusses Dwindling U.S. Munitions Reserve and the Effect on the Iran War
Podcast
NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Center for a New American Security Senior Fellow and Program Director Stacie Pettyjohn about the shortage of U.S. long-range precision missiles...
By Stacie Pettyjohn
-
Europe’s Dangerous Hesitation on Its Own Air Defense
Commentary
A NATO that credibly signals that it will not only attempt to defend against incoming missiles but also shoot the archer would strengthen deterrence, preventing war in the fir...
By Franz-Stefan Gady
-
The Ambiguity Spiral in Iran
Commentary
But on the whole, the best way for the United States to settle the war with Iran is to be clearer about its objectives....
By Erik Lin-Greenberg
-
Can the U.S. Win a War in the Pacific Against China?
Podcast
We sit down with former U.S. Navy submariner and defense analyst Thomas Shugart, now an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, to examine the rapidly...
By Tom Shugart
