The US Department of Defense plans to spend over $3.5 billion to restock inventories that were exhausted to support Israel’s military operations in the Middle East.
A Bloomberg report has said that the emergency funding is intended to replenish interceptors and cover routine military needs. Other costs include maintenance, vessel refurbishment, and munitions transportation. Nearly all the items requested have been tagged as 'emergency budget request.'
According to the report, the funding has been largely allocated to restocking weapons, especially the missiles used to repel Iran’s attacks.
US to Restock
The biggest fund request is for about $1 billion. It will be used to replace various models of the SM-3 interceptor missiles. Each SM-3 interceptor costs between $9 million and $12 million.
The second-largest fund request is for $204 million. They have been earmarked to replenish THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) interceptors. Each THAAD missile costs approximately $12.7 million.
Another $9.2 million is requested for maintenance of the THAAD’s powerful TPY-2 radar system.
Notably, this $3.5 billion emergency request is separate from the $4 billion in weapons and equipment sent to Israel since the Hamas October 2023 attack.
The replenishment request is part of the Israeli Security Supplemental Appropriations Act 2024. The US has committed $26.38 billion in support to Israel against threats from Iran and its proxies.
More than $14 billion of that funding was to be spent on rebuilding US stockpiles and providing missile interceptors for Israel.
The emergency request comes at a time when concerns are growing over the rapid depletion of the US military interceptor inventory. Some analysts have warned that the pace is unsustainable.
Israel-Iran war
During the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, the US military reportedly fired between 100 to 150 THAAD interceptors—accounting for more than a quarter of the total operational inventory.
Additionally, the US reportedly deployed various models of standard interceptors since October 2023, especially during the Israel-Iran war in June 2025.
Despite the deployment of interceptors, Iran was able to breach Israeli airspace during the war. Iran said that it was able to strike 90% of targets in Israel in the final days of the war, with many reportedly striking Tel Aviv.
Military experts have voiced concerns that the heavy usage of interceptors has left the US vulnerable in other strategic regions, including Taiwan and South Korea.
Currently, the US operates seven THAAD systems: two are deployed to defend Israel, one is stationed at a US military base in Guam, one in South Korea, and the remaining three are based in Texas.
THAAD is a versatile, mobile system designed to intercept short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. It targets incoming threats during their final phase of flight, both inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere.
Each THAAD battery includes six launchers carrying 48 interceptors and is operated by 95 US soldiers. The system includes three interceptor variants with a range between 600 km and 2,500 km.
Experts warn that the Israel-Iran conflict has exposed vulnerabilities in the US missile defence capabilities and challenged its global security posture.
This comes at a time when the US is running low on THAAD interceptors. In 2024, Lockheed Martin produced only 11 THAAD interceptors, and is expected to produce 12 more this year. At the current pace, it would take over eight years to replenish the number of interceptors the US expended while defending Israel.
Although the Pentagon has not disclosed the exact number of THAAD interceptors currently in stock, Lockheed Martin stated that it has delivered 900 units since the system's introduction in 2008, including foreign sales.
