On March 10, 2026, Tom Karako joined Jerry McGinn, Director of the CSIS Center for the Industrial Base, on an episode of All About the Base. Tom and Jerry broke down the impacts of the Iran conflict on depleting interceptor stockpiles, the offensive and defensive munitions needed to achieve U.S. foreign policy goals, and the implications for the industrial base.
On March 5, 2026, Heather Williams, Tom Karako, and Kari Bingen examined the strategic issues surrounding Operation Epic Fury. In this episode of HTK, the team discussed the operation's munitions inventories, force readiness, deterrence dynamics, and more.
Recent concerns about the use of a dozen Standard Missile-3 interceptors and its effect on inventories are somewhat overblown in light of broader trends in procurement and delivery rates over multiple years.
The Iran-Israel air conflict presents an unprecedented success story for air and missile defense and highlights the use of these defenses to save lives, protect property, and reduce pressures on policymakers.
On December 30, Iran launched a Simorgh rocket aiming to put three research devices into orbit. The payload failed to enter orbit, however, due to lack of speed. According to Iranian spokesman Ahmad Hosseini, “For a payload to enter orbit, it needs to reach speeds above 7,600 [meters per second]. We reached 7,350.”
On October 12 and 13, the Iranian Army and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched several surface-to-air missiles in a drill of air defense forces in Central Iran. The exercise, named Modafe’an-e Aseman-e Velayat 1400 [Defenders of Sky of Velayat 1400], included a variety of indigenous air defense systems, including Iran’s 3rd Khordad, Mersad, Talash, 15th...
On January 15, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard launched several loitering munitions, ballistic missiles, and rockets during a military exercise in the country’s northeastern Dasht-e-Kavir desert. In the drill, named Prophet Mohammad 15, the IRGC struck static targets with several suicide drones and twelve or more Zolfaghar, Zelzal, and Dezful ballistic missiles. According to Iranian state media,...
On January 8, Iranian state media reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) established an underground missile base near the Persian Gulf. Several cruise missiles and launchers were visible in state-released photographs of the site. According to state media, Iran aims to construct several coastal bases to house long-range ballistic and cruise missiles. Related...
On September 27, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Division displayed a new antiship ballistic missile (ASBM) in an exhibition of aerospace weapons. Featuring an enlarged booster, Iran claims the Zolfaghar Basir missile ranges 700 km, over doubles Iran’s earlier antiship missiles. Related Links: Iran unveils enhanced ballistic missile as tensions rise with US,...
On August 20, Iran displayed new ballistic and cruise missiles as part of its National Defense Industry Day. In an announcement to state television, Iranian officials revealed footage of the “Martyr Hajj Qassem,” a solid-fueled ballistic missile named for slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. In addition, Iran unveiled a cruise missile named for Abu Mahdi...
