The United States Army's inventory of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors is critically low following significant usage during the recent conflict between Israel and Iran. Nearly a quarter of the interceptor stock was expended, raising concerns about the nation's preparedness for future conflicts, particularly given the growing missile arsenals of countries like China, Russia, and North Korea. While a recent contract modification to produce more interceptors is a positive step, experts argue that it is insufficient without aggressive congressional intervention to accelerate procurement and expand production capacity.

Congress is urged to approve funding and reprogramming requests to enable the purchase of the maximum number of interceptors industry can produce in the next fiscal year. Additional measures, such as annual reporting on production capacity and multiyear procurement authority, are recommended to ensure sustained investment and readiness. Recent moves by the Senate Appropriations Committee to increase funding signal progress, but further action is needed to address longstanding underinvestment in missile defense and to safeguard U.S. forces against emerging threats.