Although forward units have been resupplied from weapons depots and “new production,” an Air Force spokeswoman said on Monday on?going operations against ISIS in Iraq and Syria have left inventories “below our desired objective.” The Air Force has worked with the Army to “re-prioritize” deliveries of Hellfire missiles—used by MQ-9 Reaper drones and Army attack helicopters—and is “working a procurement plan to increase production to reconstitute munitions stocks as quickly as possible,” she said. USAF has released more than 20,000 weapons against ISIS in 15 months. US Central Command spokesman Col. Steve Warren in mid-December downplayed the shortage, saying “we have no concern whatsoever about the stockpile of munitions. We have enough munitions to conduct all the operation[s] we need to conduct, as well as maintain a contingency…” (Warren transcript.)
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…