US Ammunition Stockpiles Dangerously Low After Trump’s Reckless Iran War, Warns Senator

Senator Mark Kelly is sounding the alarm: America’s ammunition stockpiles have been drained to shocking levels because of President Donald Trump’s reckless military actions against Iran. Speaking to CBS News, Kelly, a Democrat and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the US has gone “deep into these magazines” with no clear strategy or timeline, putting national security at risk.

Kelly cited Pentagon briefings that reveal severe shortages in critical munitions like Tomahawk missiles, ATACMS, SM-3s, and Patriot system rounds. Replenishing these stockpiles will take years, leaving the US exposed in any prolonged conflict. “We would be in a worse posture than we otherwise would be if this war in Iran didn’t happen,” Kelly warned.

The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2027 defense budget proposal reflects this crisis, requesting nearly $1.5 trillion—more than double the $700 billion budget when Kelly first joined the Senate five and a half years ago. Kelly called this “outrageous,” highlighting the disconnect between the administration’s spending demands and the strategic failures that created the shortage.

Pentagon estimates put the cost of the Iran war at roughly $25 billion by the end of April, with the bulk spent on munitions. This figure underscores the expensive consequences of Trump’s impulsive decision to escalate military conflict without a plan.

This depletion and the resulting budget surge are not just numbers—they signal a dangerous erosion of US military readiness driven by a president who treats war like a game of brinkmanship. As the US scrambles to rebuild its arsenal, the real cost is a weakened defense posture and heightened risk to American lives.