The rate at which the U.S. military has used the Tomahawk missiles in the Iran war has reportedly prompted internal talks about increasing supplies

Some Pentagon officials are concerned about the “alarmingly low” supply of Tomahawk missiles remaining in the U.S. military’s arsenal after firing 850 of the weapons into Iran, according to a report.

The rate at which the U.S. military has used the Tomahawk missiles in President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, now in its fourth week, has prompted internal talks about increasing supplies, according to The Washington Post.

U.S. officials told the newspaper that the number of Tomahawks left in the Middle East was “alarmingly low.” Another official told the outlet that the U.S. supply of Tomahawks was closing in on “Winchester,” military slang that means almost out of ammunition.

  • JensSpahnpasta@feddit.org
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    3 hours ago

    That really is the best opportunity for China to take Taiwan. Wait a little bit longer until stockpiles are empty and ground troops are deployed and then strike while the USA is occupied

    • spacesatan@leminal.space
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      2 hours ago

      The US doesn’t even formally recognized Taiwan. We were never going to enter a conventional war against a nuclear power for their sake.

        • spacesatan@leminal.space
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          2 hours ago

          losing 60% of global microchip production (and dropping) or some Dongfeng-5Bs putting the US into the fallout universe timeline. It’s not a great choice but it’s a relatively easy one.

  • azureskypirate@lemmy.zip
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    6 hours ago

    They bombed a bunker months ago, now there’s a bunch of tomahawk missles deployed; Is The Dept. of War getting ideas from Top Gun: Maverick? /s

    • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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      6 hours ago

      Take away the /s. In the first term, Steve Mnuchin was…Treasury, I think. Anyway, he’s a movie producer, on the financing side. Look up his list of credits. The things you describe sound exactly like his kinds of movies. Mnuchin was probably encouraging Trump, so he could later make a movie about it “based on a true story.”

    • Mantzy81@aussie.zone
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      3 hours ago

      Other countries won’t, because we don’t have spoilt children running our governments. It would be deserved, and we would be quietly glad someone gave them a slap, but we wouldn’t. And let’s be honest, the US would be insufferable if anything happened to them - they still bitch and moan about Pearl Harbour.

      Edit: but also, as allies, even though it’s an abusive relationship, we would still come to your aid as that’s what we agreed to do. So we also wouldn’t want you to be attacked ever as you are our friends too and also, sadly, knowing it’ll be forgotten and not necessarily reciprocated if the shoe was on the other foot.

  • metakrakalaka@lemmychan.org
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    8 hours ago

    AI says these cost $1.3 million each on the low end.

    That’s at least another billion dollars wasted on Israel that could’ve been spent helping Americans.

    • some_designer_dude@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      I cannot imagine there’s actually $1.3M of anything in these missiles. They’re probably a few grand and then about $1.3M of mark-up.

      • Atomic@sh.itjust.works
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        2 hours ago

        It’s not just what’s inside them. It’s the entire process of making them. There are a lot of people involved that all want to be paid for their work.

        Ofc the price you sell them for is higher than the cost of making them. But they’re still very expensive to make.

      • Mantzy81@aussie.zone
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        3 hours ago

        As a former Gov contractor who now works for gov, yes. Price always goes up for government contracts.

  • meathorse@lemmy.world
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    7 hours ago

    Trump is preparing the us for invasion. Invasion by Russia. Exhaust the military supplies, run the world’s fuel supply dry so that tanks etc are useless and no one can come help, then Russia, still flush with oil can walk in with their remaining hardware unopposed

    • spacesatan@leminal.space
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      3 hours ago

      I’m getting poe’s lawed by this comment. I genuinely can’t tell if this is supposed to be funny or if this is something your median .world user is ready to accept as true.

      Do they live in a world where Russia could be preparing a ground invasion of the US? Fucked if I know.

      • YellowParenti@lemmy.wtf
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        2 hours ago

        Yeah, Russia can’t get into their neighbor. They lost their Navy to a country with NO NAVY. How are they going to project power into the US? However much it cost to put trump into power has returned a million fold investment. they dont have to do shit but keep investing in the incompetent ppl in the US government.

    • Crackhappy@lemmy.world
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      3 hours ago

      I am sad that you are making a lot sense. I am happy that I have stocked up on ammo.

  • merc@sh.itjust.works
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    13 hours ago

    So, apparently there’s a term that’s used in the defence industry for advanced, extremely capable, very expensive weapons: “exquisite weapons”. This sounds like something out of a fantasy RPG, but it’s actually the term they use in the industry to talk about these things, the Tomahawk being one of them.

    So, while Iran is hitting various sites around the middle east with machines that cost about the same as a small car and are built in a basic factory, the US is spending 100x as much, building missiles in special high-tech factories using clean rooms and high end robots. Not only that, but the weapons the US is using to intercept Iran’s drones cost about 100x as much as the drones they’re shooting down.

  • ceenote@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    They’re starting to look like a waste of money that we should not replenish.

  • SaltSong@startrek.website
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    18 hours ago

    Wait, how many of those do we have? I’d expect us to have at least 10,000 given how we are supposed to be the bastion of goddamn freedom. Can hardly claim to be the stalwart defender of democracy if we don’t have enough ammo for at least a month.

    And if we don’t have ammo, maybe we shouldn’t be starting wars with nations that have a military.

    • Zron@lemmy.world
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      17 hours ago

      The pentagon has been dodging audits like fucking Neo for over 50 years.

      I have a hunch that a good chunk of that trillion dollars they get every year just kind of evaporates. You know, you order 8,500 tomahawks from your Raytheon buddy, he sends 850 and pockets the difference. No one questions it because surely we’re not going to get into an extended ground conflict so who’s gonna notice.

      We’re probably just like the Russians, just with better advertising and fresh paint.

  • Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    18 hours ago

    Per the Wikipedia article nuclear weapons of the United states:

    The US holds in total 5,177 warheads, of which 3,700 are stockpiled, and 1,477 are awaiting dismantlement. Of the stockpile, 1,770 are deployed, while 1,930 are held in reserve.

    Do we seriously have more nukes than tomahawks??? This reporting has to be incorrect.

    • MasterBlaster@lemmy.world
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      17 hours ago

      Nope. Mutual assured destruction was standard operating procedure. It is one reason the U.S.S.R. collapsed - they were trying to exceed our reserves.