The U.S. Missile Stockpile Is Dangerously Low

About this episode

<p>As the fighting with Iran has dragged on, American forces have been burning through their weapons, creating a shortage of munitions that is leaving the United States and its allies in the region much more vulnerable.</p> <p>Today, Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for The New York Times, explains why Washington is running out of key missiles so quickly, and how the munitions shortage might affect the safety of U.S. troops and the Trump administration’s efforts to end the war.</p> <p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/eric-schmitt" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Eric Schmitt</strong></a>, a national security correspondent for The New York Times.</p> <p>Background reading: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/us/politics/pentagon-weapons-stockpiles-china-russia.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The war in Iran has depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles</a>, resulting in a significant erosion of firepower.</p> <p>Photo: Martin Divisek/EPA, via Shutterstock</p> <p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily" rel="noopener noreferrer">nytimes.com/thedaily</a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p> <p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>