US Military Admits It Could Be Overwhelmed by Iran, Unable to Counter This Weapon
Jakarta – CNBC Indonesia reports that senior United States military officials gave a serious warning to lawmakers in a closed briefing on Tuesday local time. The US military indicated that they were highly unlikely to be able to shoot down every Iranian drone launched at installations and US military assets in a retaliatory strike.
According to two people familiar with the matter, the officials led by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, revealed that Iran had deployed thousands of one-way attack drones. Although the US military has the capacity to shoot down most of the drones, they conceded they could not repel the entire incoming volley.
As a result, in the secret briefing on Capitol Hill, officials said the US focus was now on destroying drone launch sites and conventional missiles as quickly as possible. The information was supplied by sources who asked for anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the details.
Iran has been launching low-cost one-way Shahed drones as retaliation against US strikes. By flying at low altitude and slowly, these drones are regarded as better at evading conventional air defences than ballistic missiles.
A senior government official stated that Iran’s drone strategy, which seems aimed at forcing the US to sacrifice Patriot and THAAD interceptors, is a misguided and ineffective move. This is because the US has shot down those drones using a range of different engagement approaches.
Nevertheless, several Democratic leaders in Congress remain concerned that the US has spent too many interceptors to withstand a ballistic missile attack from Iran. General Caine acknowledged internal concerns, although publicly he maintained his confidence in the level of weapon stocks.
“We have enough precise munitions to perform the task at hand, both for offensive and defensive operations,” Caine said at a press conference at the Pentagon on Wednesday morning, without giving specific details, as quoted by The Guardian, Thursday (5 March 2026).
The high intensity of using these weapons carries a very high cost. In the early days of the conflict, the US spent around USD 2 billion, or roughly Rp34 trillion, per day, though that figure has now fallen to around USD 1 billion and is expected to continue decreasing as the conflict progresses.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this matter. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs declined to comment, citing ongoing operational security.
Separately, Donald Trump, via social media on Monday night, wrote that the US could sustain the rate of use of such weapons indefinitely. He stated that mid- to high-end munitions stockpiles of the US military were essentially unlimited, though he conceded that top-tier weapons were not in a desirable position.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted in a Wednesday briefing that the US has more than enough weapons to wage a prolonged war with Iran. She also claimed that Trump’s post was actually a critique of the Biden administration’s earlier decision to send weapons to Ukraine.
“We have munitions stocks in places unknown to many people in the world. The President wants to show that, unfortunately, we have a very stupid and incompetent leadership in the White House for four years that gave away much of our best weapons for free,” Leavitt said.