The next steps in the U.S. military campaign against Iran will commit nearly its entire inventory of stealthy JASSM-ER cruise missiles, drawing them from stockpiles devoted to other regions.
The order to pull the $1.5 million weapon from Pacific stockpiles was issued at the end of March, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. Missiles at U.S. facilities elsewhere, including the continental U.S., will be moved to U.S. Central Command bases or Fairford in the U.K., said the person, who was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive details.
After the moves, only about 425 JASSM-ER out of a prewar inventory of 2,300 will remain available for the rest of the globe. That would be roughly enough for 17 B-1B bombers on a single mission. Another 75 or so are ¡°unserviceable¡± because of damage or technical faults.
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