Iran war strains US ability to defend Taiwan in near term: WSJ

The US has depleted so many weapons during its war with Iran that some administration officials doubt the country could fully carry out plans to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion in the near term, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

Citing US officials who declined to give exact figures, the report said the military has fired more than 1,000 long-range Tomahawk missiles and up to 2,000 air-defense interceptors since the war with Iran began on Feb. 28. Fully restocking those supplies could take as long as six years, the officials told the Journal.

Meanwhile, according to an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) think tank, it will take one to four years to replenish missile stocks to pre-war levels, warning that a war against China "will consume munitions at greater rates" and that current inventory levels "will constrain US operations should a future conflict arise."

"Even before the Iran war, stockpiles were deemed insufficient for a peer competitor fight," CSIS said, adding that the shortfall is now "even more acute."

The Journal report further noted that some officials argued the US could shorten the timeline to replace munitions via heavy investment in its defense industry and a new focus on producing lower-cost weapons.

However, the CSIS warned that cheaper alternatives come with trade-offs, notably shorter ranges that would expose more military assets to enemy fire.

The commander of US troops in the Pacific, Adm. Samuel Paparo, told Congress on Tuesday that the Iran war was giving American forces valuable combat experience and that he currently sees no real cost to the US' ability to deter China.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt disputed the report and said: "The entire premise of this story is false," insisting the US military is fully equipped with enough weapons to handle any operation ordered by the president.

The Pentagon said it is pushing defense contractors to ramp up production and has asked Congress to approve $350 billion for critical munitions in next year's budget.