White House says no worries after report claims rebuilding missile inventory used in Iran strikes will take years

Military officials, defense analysts, and critics have warned in recent years about the state of America's military readiness and the risk of exhausting its stores of critical munitions.

The U.S -Israel war with Iran — a conflict which saw a 39-day bombing campaign with over 13,000 targets struck followed by a fragile ceasefire interrupted in recent days and weeks by additional strikes — has spread America's missile inventory particularly thin.

According to a new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the U.S. "has enough munitions for any plausible scenario in the Iran war, but the depleted inventories have created a window of vulnerability for a potential Western Pacific conflict. The time needed to rebuild those inventories has thus become a major concern."

'Democrats destroyed our military.'

War Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged during a Senate hearing on April 30 that it will take "months and years" to rebuild the military's stockpiles of various munitions. The CSIS report attempts to give a better idea of the turnaround for replenishing the stocks of specific systems.

The think tank estimated, for instance, that the U.S. will not be able to replenish its prewar inventory of Tomahawk cruise missiles — over 850 of which were reportedly fired just in the first four weeks of the conflict and fewer than 200 of which are made per year — back to prewar levels until late 2030 or early 2031.

American Enterprise Institute fellows Mackenzie Eaglen and Todd Harrison noted in an assessment last year that the U.S. expended over 150 THAAD interceptors — terminal high-altitude area defense interceptors — defending Israel in June 2025 during its 12-day conflict with Iran.

At the time, that accounted for nearly 25% of America's total number of THAAD interceptors — each valued at roughly $12.7 million — and reportedly three times the average annual procurement since 2010.

The new CSIS report puts the number of THAAD interceptors used in the current conflict somewhere between 190 and 290.

Aftermath of a missile strike on a building in Tehran on March 1. ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images

With a projected annual production capacity of 96 THAAD interceptors at the current maximum rate and a potential expanded annual production capacity of 400 in light of the Trump administration's $1.5 trillion defense budget proposal for 2027, the CSIS report predicts a replenishment of the prewar stock sometime in mid- to late 2029.

An estimated 1,060-1,430 Patriot missiles — a variety of missile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has recently been begging Trump for more of — were fired in and around Iran since Feb. 28. Again, a return to prewar inventory isn't expected until mid-2029.

The estimated turnaround for replenishing the prewar stock of standard missile-3s is early 2029; standard missile-6s is late 2028-early 2029; joint air-to-surface standoff missiles is mid-2027; and precision strike missiles is late 2026.

The analysts suggested that during this inventory gap, some munitions could be substituted, but swaps will invariably carry with them certain downsides.

"Alternative ground attack munitions, for example, are short- or medium-range and increase vulnerability of the launch platforms," said the report. "Alternative counter-drone systems are expensive."

The Trump administration evidently doesn't share the outlook of the report's authors.

Following the publication of the CSIS report, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to the Military Times that the U.S. military "has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump’s strategic goals and beyond."

"Even still, the president has urged our defense contractors to constantly produce more made-in-America weapons, which are the best in the world," continued Kelly. "Democrats destroyed our military, but President Trump rebuilt it. Think-tank armchair quarterbacks are not read into sensitive information and have no idea what they’re talking about."

While the military remains tight-lipped about how many missiles and munitions were expended during Operation Epic Fury, the administration was provided with some idea as to how much was spent monetarily.

Jules Hurst III, the Department of War's acting comptroller, testified earlier this month that the U.S. had spent roughly $29 billion on the war.

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My father brought Memorial Day to the doorstep

As a boy in the early 1970s, I remember my father serving as a U.S. Navy Reserve chaplain in Atlanta. One of his duties was casualty notification, informing families that their loved one had been killed in military service, usually the Marines.

In winter, he wore his Navy service dress blues while accompanying other officers into some of Atlanta’s poorest neighborhoods and housing projects. There were no cell phones, GPS systems, or easy ways to locate families quickly. The notifications were time-sensitive, and strangers in uniform were often met cautiously in neighborhoods already carrying more than their share of hardship. Some families hid at first because they thought the men approaching their doors were police officers.

This Memorial Day, a nation pauses to remember the Americans who never took off the uniform.

But my father carried a different burden: the worst message a family could hear.

In addition to preaching from a pulpit, he ministered on doorsteps.

He served for many years, eventually retiring with the rank of captain. But long before that, I watched him carry one of the hardest duties a chaplain could bear.

Memorial Day means more to me because of that.

Not all memorials are granite.

Some are folded into flags handed to trembling families. Others hang quietly in framed photographs or rest beneath white crosses overlooking distant oceans. And some are so small that readers almost miss them in Scripture.

One appears in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Under the superintendence of the Holy Spirit, Matthew records the lineage of Jesus carefully: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Solomon.

But when he arrives at Solomon, Matthew writes something unusual: “David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah” (Matthew 1:6).

Bathsheba’s name is not mentioned. Her husband’s is.

Uriah the Hittite.

King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for Uriah to die in battle. Scripture does not sanitize David’s sin: “The thing that David had done displeased the Lord” (2 Samuel 11:27).

David repented. God forgave him. But the consequences remained.

Still, God preserved the name David tried to bury.

Every Memorial Day, I think about that.

Uriah has now been remembered for nearly 3,000 years, not because kings honored him properly. His own king had him killed. But God refused to let him disappear.

And Uriah was not even an Israelite by birth. He was a Hittite. Yet he served honorably even when his king acted dishonorably toward him.

Memorial Day reminds us that service is vital.

As America approaches 250 years as a nation, countless men and women have worn its uniform unto death. Some died heroically in combat. Others died through confusion, incompetence, training accidents, or the failures of leaders far from the battlefield.

War has always mixed courage with tragedy, honor with human failure. But generation after generation, Americans still stepped forward, willing to bear costs most citizens pray they never personally face.

Many of those never came home alive.

My own sons are now about the age my father was when he knocked on those doors in a Navy uniform, carrying news no family ever wants to hear.

Looking at my sons, I cannot imagine them carrying that burden repeatedly.

Yet those moments marked my father for the rest of his ministry. His faith was forged in living rooms where stunned families learned someone they loved was not coming home.

He carried both the duty of the nation and the ministry of the church into rooms shattered by grief.

His grave marker bears both his rank and his calling, a reminder that he stood beside grieving families in their darkest hours.

So this Memorial Day, a nation pauses to remember the Americans who never took off the uniform.

But in that pause, if you served beside a military chaplain, remember them as well.

Many spent their ministries carrying unbearable news to frightened families, fighting back tears while praying for those who could not, burying the dead, and offering words no one who hears them ever forgets:

“On behalf of a grateful nation ...”

History forgets names. Monuments weather. Politicians fail. But God does not forget.

In the genealogy of Christ, God preserved the name of a faithful soldier. No service and no sacrifice poured out in duty escapes the sight of God.

Not all memorials are granite. Some are written where time cannot erase them.

White House requests $1.5 trillion for Pentagon's 2027 budget. Here's what the administration has in mind.

The Trump White House has proposed that Congress increase the Pentagon's budget by nearly 44% compared to last year to roughly $1.5 trillion and reduce non-defense spending by $73 billion, or 10%.

"This is a $441 billion or 44-percent increase from the 2026 enacted level in combination with the $151.5 billion in mandatory funding provided through the Working Families Tax Cut Act," the budget request says.

While nearly $1.2 trillion of the total would reportedly come from the regular appropriations process, $350 billion would alternatively come through a budget reconciliation bill.

'I'm very wary.'

This request is in addition to the $200 billion supplemental package requested by the Department of War to sustain the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.

According to the White House, the requested sum — which would reportedly raise U.S. military spending to its highest level in modern history — would help restore "the readiness and lethality of the force by ensuring America's warfighters are trained, equipped, and medically ready to fight and win."

In addition to funding a pay raise of 7% for all Pentagon military personnel ranked E-5 and below, of 6% for E-6 to O-3, and of 5% for O-4 and above, the requested budget would help:

Fund the "next-generation missile defense shield" outlined in President Donald Trump's executive order titled "The Iron Dome for America";
"Secure and defend America's vital national and economic security interests in, from, and to space";
Fund the procurement of 18 battle force ships and 16 non-battle force ships;
Fund the procurement of 12 unspecified "critical" munitions at a time of dwindling stores of Patriot missiles, Standard Missile-3s, and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors;
"Fix longstanding shortfalls in the National Defense Stockpile" of critical minerals;
Secure 85 F-35 jets;
Prioritize the development and production of the F-47, a sixth-generation combat aircraft Boeing won the contract to develop last year;
Boost America's drone manufacturing base; and
Scale the Armed Forces' "AI ecosystem," among other initiatives.

The White House further proposed that Congress continue to "eliminate millions of wasteful and egregious spending related to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and other 'woke' policies" at the Pentagon.

Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Numerous Democratic lawmakers rushed to criticize the White House's budget request.

Rep. Mike Thompson (Calif.), for instance, stated, "Trump wants $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon while eliminating the programs that help you pay your heating bill, fund your child's education, and keep your family healthy. This isn't a budget. It's a betrayal of the American people."

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said that "the only responsible thing to do with a budget this morally bankrupt is to toss it in the trash."

There may also be some resistance on the right.

"I'm very wary of voting for excessive spending in defense," said Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett (R), Politico reported.

'It is the most robust increase in defense spending in many years.'

Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) said in an op-ed on Friday that while he supports maintaining America's stockpiles, strengthening the defense industrial base, and maintaining "the capabilities needed to deter China," he "cannot support funding for further military operations without a formal declaration of war."

The budget request has, however, found a number of staunch supporters in the GOP.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a joint statement, "This funding will ensure our military remains the most advanced in the world, supporting an unparalleled force capable of defending our interests in the 21st century."

"America is facing the most dangerous global environment since World War II. Growing threats from adversaries such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Islamic radicals, and narco-terrorists require decisive action and renewed urgency to reinvest in our defenses," the duo continued. "This bold commitment provides the resources needed to rebuild American military capability and confront those challenges head-on."

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.) celebrated the budget request, stating, "It is the most robust increase in defense spending in many years, and it is more than justified by the threats we face throughout the world."

Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said in a note to Congress appended to the budget request, "President Trump promised to reinvest in America's national security infrastructure, to make sure our Nation is safe in a dangerous world. The 2027 Budget upholds this promise and would ensure that the United States continues to maintain the world's most powerful and capable military."

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Veterans slam Democrat candidate for allegedly fudging military record

Veterans are speaking out against Democrat congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar for using his military career to amplify his campaign.

Campa-Najjar allegedly referred to himself as a "Navy Officer" in his campaign materials, differing from his actual title of Navy Reserve officer. Because of this alleged discrepancy, Campa-Najjar's campaign has raised eyebrows, since Navy policy requires reservists running for office to accurately disclose their military status.

'Shame on Campa-Najjar and anyone who supported these cynical political stunts.'

The Navy later said officials will be "looking into" Campa-Najjar's campaign in light of the alleged violation of Pentagon policy.

“I supported Ammar in the past, but won’t again,” Elizabeth Perez-Rodriguez, a Navy combat veteran, told the New York Post.

Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

Campa-Najjar, who is notably dating billionaire heiress Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), also caused uproar after staging photo opportunities for his campaign website. The photo that caught the most attention was from the Massachusetts National Cemetery, depicting Campa-Najjar near the grave of a Korean War veteran whom he reportedly had no connection to.

"As a combat veteran," Perez-Rodriguez continued, "I can’t stand when political candidates exploit the uniform for politics, and using a veteran’s grave site in your campaign is toxic and disrespectful.”

“Our national cemeteries are sacred ground — not political backdrops," Marine Corps combat veteran Brian Van Riper told the Post. "Using a service member’s grave site at a VA cemetery for political campaign photos is among the most disrespectful, distasteful, and cynical political ploys I’ve ever seen."

"All these allegations are damning and show a complete disregard for what military service and wearing the uniform should mean," Michael Malach, an Army combat veteran, told the Post. "Shame on Campa-Najjar and anyone who supported these cynical political stunts, especially using posed portraits at a deceased veteran’s grave to try and boost his campaign.”

Campa-Najjar's campaign website does list him as a U.S. Navy Reserve officer alongside a disclaimer saying, "Any references to his military rank, service, or photographs in uniform are for identification purposes only and do not imply endorsement by the Department of War or the Department of the Navy."

Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

Campa-Najjar's campaign manager, Andi McNew, pushed back against the allegations, saying the cemetery photo was taken while "participating in an official Memorial Day event where he, alongside his unit, honored fallen service members.”

“At no point did the campaign engage in political activity at a VA cemetery, and any suggestion otherwise is a misrepresentation of both the facts and the applicable rules,” Andi McNew told the Post.

This is Campa-Najjar's third congressional campaign. He is now running for California's newly redrawn 48th District against incumbent Republican Rep. Darrell Issa.

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'Rebellion'? Democrat lawmakers urge federal agents to resist Trump agenda in cringe video

Despite internal fractures in their own party, Democrats have rallied on one issue: resisting President Donald Trump and his agenda. On Tuesday, a Democrat senator posted a distressing exhortation titled "Don't give up the ship."

The six Democrats in the video, whose shared experience represents intelligence agencies, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force, delivered a forceful message addressed directly to "members of the military and the intelligence community."

'You can refuse illegal orders.'

"Americans trust their military. But that trust is at risk. This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens."

Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

"Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren't just coming from abroad, but from right here at home."

Repeating the statement for effect, they continued, "You can refuse illegal orders."

"No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution. ... But whether you're serving in the CIA, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, your vigilance is critical. And know that we have your back," they said.

They did not identify any allegedly illegal orders issued by President Donald Trump or members of his administration.

The video ended with the final demand: "Don't give up the ship."

Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), and Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) delivered the message.

Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser, called out the video on X, saying, "Ten years after the Deep State Russia Hoax, top Democrats openly appeal to CIA and military officials to engage in rebellion against their Commander-in-Chief."

"Do not underestimate how dangerously radicalized the Democrat party has become," Miller added.

Slotkin's post of the video garnered 6.7 million views on X by Wednesday.

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Army, Navy release stunning uniforms ahead of historic matchup honoring America's 250th birthday

The United States Army and Navy are going all out for the 126th Army-Navy Game.

Over the past decade, the teams have worn special uniforms for the NCAA football rivalry series, but for this year's historic occasion, both teams have stepped their game up.

'We will carry the Army's Warrior Ethos with us onto the gridiron.'

Last week, the Army unveiled their jerseys for the Dec. 13th game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The focus of the design surrounds "250 Years of Service & Sacrifice."

Specifically, the Army fell back on its ethos: "I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade."

Furthermore, the team put added emphasis on the U.S. Constitution and the Revolutionary War with "1775" written on the back of their helmets.

"Washington transformed the Continental Army into a disciplined fighting force. Washington and his soldiers boldly regained the initiative by crossing the Delaware River on Christmas in 1776 and seized Trenton and Princeton," the Army wrote in a press release.

Washington's men were "drilled and disciplined Soldiers able to hold their own against the British, and even to defeat them to secure American independence."

Image via United States Army

The uniform uses Constitution-style text on the name plate to honor America's founding documents and to showcase "the importance of having an Army that swears loyalty to a set of ideas rather than a monarch."

It also features the Great Chain, honoring the strategic value of West Point during the American Revolution, as well as purple streaking through the jersey numbers and the helmet, symbolizing the sacrifices made by soldiers and Gold Star families.

The Army cemented its commitment to the defense of liberty in the design, reinforcing its motto, "This we'll defend," while promising victory.

"We will carry the Army's Warrior Ethos with us onto the gridiron in Baltimore as we defeat our rivals and seize the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy," the team said.

— (@)

Navy football also revealed its own iconic uniforms, choosing to focus on the historic copper and the Navy's longest-serving ship.

The USS Constitution gets special recognition from the Navy this year and was heavily used for the uniform's design and inspiration. This includes ship knots around the jersey's sleeves, the American flag, and the nautical Navy and heritage red colors, symbolizing its battle-worn hull.

The USS Constitution is the only remaining frigate from the original six frigates fleet and the world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat, according to the Navy.

The ship is nicknamed "Old Ironsides" because cannonballs appeared to bounce off its hull during the War of 1812. It remains undefeated in battle and has never lowed its flag.

Image via United States Navy

As for the copper, the Navy showcases the vital role the metal has played in preserving the original U.S. frigates. Not only does the copper protect the wooden hulls, but it was the material used for the 1797 and 1798 one-cent pieces placed beneath each mast of the USS Constitution for good luck.

The entire helmet is coated in oxidized copper for the 2025 game, along with a detailed sketch of the historic ship. A wooden plank runs down the center of the helmet too, bound by six ropes to honor the original six frigates.

The ropes on the helmet have 126 knots, a reference to the 126th Army-Navy game.

— (@)

Online, the Army's reveal of its uniforms garnered much praise, even from its rivals.

"I'm a Navy veteran but I love the jersey numbers," one X user wrote.

"I hate army but these are clean," another said.

Over on the Navy's X page, comments were cordial with fans saying designers "knocked it out of the park" and provided "incredible storytelling in this design."

According to the game's official website, the 2024 Army-Navy Game drew an average of 9.4 million viewers on CBS, eclipsing the record of 8.45 million set in 1992.

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White House says no worries after report claims rebuilding missile inventory used in Iran strikes will take years

My father brought Memorial Day to the doorstep

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