U.S. Iran War Tomahawk Use Far Exceeds Annual Purchases

CBS News reports that U.S. forces have fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles in the Iran war so far, several times the roughly 90 Tomahawks the Pentagon typically procures each year and about nine times the Navy’s 57‑missile request for fiscal 2026. Analysts estimate the U.S. stockpile at about 3,100 Tomahawks, meaning a significant fraction has already been expended even as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insists the arsenal will be replenished 'faster than anyone imagined.' Production lines at Raytheon and BAE could theoretically turn out up to about 2,330 Tomahawks per year under existing contract capacities, but until now the Pentagon has chosen to buy far fewer, prompting long‑running concerns from experts like Stimson Center fellow Kelly Grieco that the U.S. lacks sufficient long‑range strike weapons and keeps depleting the stockpiles it tries to rebuild. Sen. Jack Reed has likewise warned that U.S. forces are burning through not just Tomahawks but 'thousands' of other precision strike weapons and interceptors, underscoring how the Iran campaign is stress‑testing the U.S. defense industrial base and raising uncomfortable questions about whether Washington can sustain this pace of high‑end warfare while remaining prepared for other crises.