War in Iran is Chewing Through American Missile Stockpiles

The podcast explores the complexities of missile warfare and defense procurement, particularly in the context of the ongoing conflict with Iran. It highlights the challenges of estimating arsenal sizes and the scarcity of resources. Tom Karako, Senior Fellow and Director of the Missile Defense Project at CSIS, emphasizes the importance of missile defense for national sovereignty, citing Ukraine as an example, and warns about the danger of "going Winchester" or running out of defensive interceptors. The conversation also addresses the physical and political constraints on ramping up missile production, including bottlenecks in the supply chain and the need for increased congressional appropriations. The discussion touches on the asymmetry between cheap drones and expensive missile defense systems, while also emphasizing the limitations of relying solely on air power to achieve military objectives.