In 15 Months, the Navy Fired More Air Defense Missiles Than it Did in the Last 30 Years

Since October 2023, the U.S. Navy has engaged in the most intense sustained combat at sea since World War II.

This conflict, stemming from Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea, has resulted in an extraordinary expenditure of resources, particularly in missile defense. According to retired Navy Cmdr.

Bryan Clark of the Hudson Institute, the Navy has fired more missiles for air defense in this period than in all the years since Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s.

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“It’s kind of amazing how the Navy has held up with no losses, but the cost has been pretty enormous,” Clark noted. “The estimates are the Navy has used up $1 billion-plus worth of interceptors to shoot down these drone and missile threats.”

While the conflict appears to be on hold due to the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas announced on Jan. 19, 2025, the Navy faces a significant challenge in replenishing its missile stockpile.

This depletion raises concerns about U.S. military readiness in the event of a high-intensity conflict with a major adversary such as China.

“I think most estimates are within a few days of combat, if there was an invasion of Taiwan, that the U.S. — the Navy in particular — would run out of weapons,” Clark said.

“That’s the problem: The weapons we’ve designed are too difficult to build for the industrial base, because they’re too specialized; they have too bespoke a supply chain, and they’re manufactured by hand, at low-rate productions.”

Shortly after Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Houthi rebels in Yemen began targeting commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea with an array of weapons, including cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, drones, and unmanned boats.

The USS Carney, a U.S. Navy destroyer, faced the first major engagement on Oct. 19, 2023, spending 10 hours intercepting 15 drones and four cruise missiles.

Image Credit: DoD

Fire Controlman (AEGIS) 2nd Class Justin Parker recalled hearing the ship’s announcement, “Clear the weatherdecks,” before the Carney’s main gun and missiles began firing.

“We had never done anything like this before — we had only trained to it,” Gunner’s Mate 1st Class Charles Currie said in a Navy News release. “There was a lot of adrenaline going on. This was real-world now.”

The Carney went on to engage in 51 combat scenarios during its deployment, and its entire crew was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon.

As Houthi attacks intensified, the Navy reinforced its presence. By December 2023, the U.S. announced Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multinational initiative to protect shipping in the Red Sea. In January 2024, the U.S. and the U.K. began conducting air and missile strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.

In November 2024, the Houthis launched a major attack against two Navy destroyers, USS Stockdale and USS Spruance, using drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles. Both ships successfully defended themselves without sustaining damage.

The Navy also participated in intercepting Iranian missile attacks against Israel in April and October 2024, with USS Cole and USS Bulkeley launching interceptors to neutralize the threat.

Image Credit: DoD

The scale of combat in the Red Sea has significantly drained the Navy’s munitions stockpile. By January 2025, the Navy had fired nearly 400 munitions, including:

• 120 SM-2 missiles
• 80 SM-6 missiles
• 20 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles (ESSM) and SM-3 missiles combined
• 160 rounds from ships’ five-inch main guns

Given the high cost of interceptors (ranging from $2.5 million to $28.7 million per missile), the Navy has increasingly relied on more cost-effective alternatives, such as Sidewinder and Hellfire missiles, and its five-inch guns equipped with Hypervelocity Projectiles.

“They have been using guns to shoot down drones lately, especially the Hypervelocity Projectile,” Clark explained. “The Navy built all those Hypervelocity Projectiles originally as part of the rail gun program. I think they’ve used about 50 for air defense.”

Because Houthi drones often fly too low for missiles to engage effectively, five-inch rounds provide a cheaper and more effective solution.

“What often happens is these really small drones get close enough to where the missile can’t really engage in time, because the missile has a minimum range, also,” Clark said.

The scale of combat in the Red Sea has exposed serious vulnerabilities in the U.S. Navy’s supply chain. Rear Adm. Kavon Hakimzadeh, then commander of US Carrier Strike Group 2, remarked that “absolutely nobody thought they might see unmanned [threats] at this scale.”

During his confirmation hearing on Feb. 27, 2025, for the role of Navy secretary, John Phelan acknowledged the urgent need to address munition shortages.

Image Credit: DoD

“So, if confirmed, I intend to focus on this very quickly and get that resolved because I think we’re at a dangerously low level from a stockpile perspective, and as well as new,” Phelan said.

In written responses to lawmakers, Phelan also emphasized the need to explore alternative defensive measures, including directed energy weapons, loitering munitions, and other emerging technologies.

The Red Sea conflict has demonstrated both the effectiveness and the limitations of the U.S. Navy in modern warfare.

While the Navy successfully defended its ships and neutralized a vast number of aerial threats, the high cost of missile defense and strained supply chains highlight vulnerabilities in America’s ability to sustain long-term combat operations.

The challenge now is for the Navy and the defense industry to adapt, ensuring that future conflicts do not find the U.S. military unprepared.

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