Updated on: April 24, 2026 / 8:07 PM EDT / CBS News

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Washington — Days after the United States opened its military campaign against Iran , President Trump sought to project confidence in the nation's war footing, declaring that America possessed a "virtually unlimited supply" of key munitions and could fight wars "forever" using them.

The remark conveyed a familiar image of American military power, a projection of being technologically unmatched, logistically dominant and capable of sustaining operations indefinitely. But recent congressional testimony from Pentagon officials and an analysis of the U.S. arsenal point to a more constrained reality, where the U.S. advantage lies less in limitless supply than in highly advanced, but finite, systems.

Of particular concern are supplies of advanced long-range missiles capable of striking targets hundreds of miles away, as well as interceptor munitions used to defend U.S. forces against incoming attacks.

Mr.…