WSJ Questions U.S. Ability to Maintain Order Amid Weapons Stockpile Depletion

"U.S. Defense Capability Now in Doubt, Not Just Willingness"

Patriot and THAAD Missile Stocks Estimated to Be Halved

With the prolonged Iran war rapidly depleting the United States' weapons stockpile, concerns are mounting over whether the U.S. still possesses the military capability required to maintain world order. Doubts about America's willingness to defend its allies, which have persisted since the launch of the Donald Trump administration, have now spread to questions about its actual defensive capacity.

President Lee Jae-myung attended the invited countries' welcome event held at the major Group of Seven (G7) summit venue in Evian-les-Bains, France, on June 16 (local time), along with U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders. Photo by Yonhap News

On August 20 (local time), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that anxiety about U.S. military capability is spreading among its allies in Europe and Asia.

Since President Trump took office, the U.S.'s moves to align more closely with Russia, its demands for increased defense spending from allies, and the imposition of high tariffs have raised questions about whether America remains a reliable partner. On top of this, reductions in the U.S. weapon stockpile due to the Iran war have brought worries not only about America's commitment to defend its allies, but also its current ability to do so in practice.

The WSJ cited the downsizing of the U.S.-South Korea joint military drills and overtures to North Korea for dialogue as examples that have fueled these doubts about America's will and capability to defend its allies. Concerns are mounting further as strategic U.S. assets previously stationed in Asia have been redeployed to the Middle East due to the prolonged Iran war.

The most pressing issue is the depletion of core interceptor missile reserves. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a U.S. think tank, estimates that reserves of Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor missiles have been reduced by roughly half compared with pre-war levels. Around one-third of Tomahawk cruise missiles and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) have also reportedly been used.

By contrast, countries such as Russia, China, and North Korea are rapidly increasing their production of ballistic missiles. The WSJ pointed out that ballistic missile production in these countries is far outpacing Western production of interceptor missiles, warning that the U.S. weapons shortage could weaken deterrence in Europe and Asia.

Uncertainty is also growing in Europe. Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the German Bundestag from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and a former Bundeswehr colonel, argued that there is now a widespread perception that the U.S. would not risk its own security for the Baltic states or Germany, stating, "The U.S. nuclear umbrella has disappeared."

In Asia, concerns focus particularly on the possibility that America's response capability could weaken should a Taiwan crisis occur. Recent reports by experts at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) warned that depleted U.S. weapons reserves could undermine its ability to deter Chinese aggression against Taiwan, urging a rapid expansion in missile production capacity.

However, some analysts believe the likelihood of a large-scale conflict breaking out in East Asia remains low for now. Bilahari Kausikan, a political analyst in Singapore, predicted that the U.S.'s munitions stockpile would eventually be replenished. He also assessed that, given China's domestic issues, it is unlikely to take a risky military gamble over Taiwan at this stage.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.