Taipei is expressing growing concern that the depletion of the U.S. stockpile of long-range missiles, due to military operations in other regions, could weaken Washington's ability to support it in a potential confrontation with China.
Taipei expresses concern that the depletion of US long-range munitions in other conflicts, such as the war in the Middle East, could weaken Washington's ability to deter in the event of a conflict with China.
The United States estimates that it launched hundreds of JASSM (Jet Air-to-Surface Stand-Off Missile) and Tomahawk missiles during a few weeks of fighting, the same tactics that defense experts consider crucial in any conflict over Taiwan, due to their ability to strike from long distances beyond the range of enemy air defenses.
In this context, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated that U.S. forces launched 786 JASSM missiles and 319 Tomahawk missiles in the first six days of the Iran war alone, which is equivalent to what the United States produces of these missiles in several years.
Experts point out that remanufacturing such quantities could take years, creating a critical readiness gap. Eric Higginbotham, an expert at MIT, explained that these munitions were primarily designed for use against China, and it was not anticipated that they would be depleted to this extent in another conflict.
A previous military simulation about Taiwan conducted by the Center and the Institute in 2023 confirms that America’s arsenal of JASSM missiles could be completely depleted within a few weeks in a confrontation scenario with China, highlighting the importance of these weapons.
While the Pentagon does not publicly specify the conflicts for which these munitions are intended, analysts agree that long-range, penetrating missiles like the JASSM, which form the backbone of the U.S. military’s conventional long-range air strikes, would be the most decisive tool for depleting China’s arsenal in the early stages of a conflict, especially given Beijing’s air and anti-ship missile defenses.
