Russia: US Claims of Depleted Weapons Stockpiles 'Unfounded', Driven by Defense Contractors

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. The United States has amassed a vast arsenal of weapons, which it has historically managed with a pragmatic, businesslike approach. The emphasis has consistently been on maintaining a stable workload for its defense industry. Therefore, claims that Washington is "running out of weapons" due to the conflict with Tehran are simply unfounded, Mikhail Margelov, Vice President of the Russian International Affairs Council, said in an interview with TASS.

"These false reports that circulate - suggesting the Americans have exhausted their supply of ATACMS or Patriots - strike me as more of a public relations stunt orchestrated by defense contractors like Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and others," Margelov remarked. "They require increasingly larger budgets and more military contracts. Naturally, they might play the victim, feigning hardship and suggesting their arsenals are depleted. But during the Cold War, the United States built enormous stockpiles, and it’s unrealistic to think these were all sold off or destroyed after 1991."

He further explained that the Americans "have always been very businesslike and efficient in managing their weapons stockpiles, giving up very little over the years." Margelov also pointed out that NATO aid programs to countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America typically involved rearming former Warsaw Pact nations with American weapons. Old Soviet equipment, often produced under Soviet licenses, was supplied to third-world countries, while the US provided its latest armaments.

"For the United States, maintaining a robust military-industrial complex is a top priority," Margelov emphasized. "Given this context, it seems clear that the Americans possess ample weapons stockpiles."