The U.S. military has fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles in four weeks of war with Iran, burning through the precision weapons at a rate that has alarmed some Pentagon officials and prompted internal discussions about how to make more available, said people familiar with the matter.
The missiles, which can be launched from Navy surface warships and submarines, have been a staple of U.S. military attacks since they were first used in combat in 1991 during the Persian Gulf War. But only a few hundred are manufactured each year, meaning the global supply is limited. The Pentagon does not publicly disclose how many missiles are in its inventory at any one time.
Tomahawks are prized in part because they can travel more than 1,000 miles, reducing the need to send American pilots into well-defended airspace. The heavy reliance on them in the Iran conflict will require urgent discussions about whether to relocate some from other parts of the world, including the Indo-Pacific, and a concerted long-term effort to build more, said several U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military planning.
The dilemma has laid bare broader concerns in both the Pentagon and Congress about the Trump administration’s war in Iran, its shifting explanations for why the conflict is necessary, and the risks a shortage could pose to the United States as it balances the potential for future conflict in other parts of the world. It comes as the White House deliberates over a possible major escalation in Iran, to include the use of ground troops, while pursuing negotiations to end hostilities.
Tomahawks need semiconductors. Semiconductors need rare earth metals. The biggest producer/refiner of REMs is China, by far. So when the Iran war eventually ends, the US will want to replenish their stock piles, thus they'll need access to Chinas rare earth market.
I wonder if China will use that leverage. They could restrict access for whatever reason, leaving the US potentially unable to defend Taiwan. At the same time, this would probably alarm every other REM-dependent nation to ramp up alternative supply chains. So this leaverage can be used only once.
It's okay, we will have New Greenland by then. /☹️
They've already stopped exports of rare earths to US arms manufacturers. They're the largest producer of gallium by several orders of magnitude, if I remember correctly, so it won't be easy to find an alternative.