Kelly Grieco of the Stimson Center points out how quickly we would blow through half of our THAAD system with SM-3 interceptors if we deployed them to the Middle East against Iran and began firing at a rate we established last June:
3/
THAAD daily firing: June tempo = 8–12/dayReady rounds (96):
8/day → 12 days
12/day → 8 daysReloads (~94–119):
8/day → 12–15 days
12/day → 8–10 daysTotal in-theater endurance: ~2.5–3.5 weeks (16–24 days)
— Kelly Grieco (@ka_grieco) February 28, 2026
It’s less than a month.
And remember, many people wanted these weapons systems to be sent and used by Ukraine already.
How long and deep of an engagement is Trump really betting on here?