The U.S. Navy is set to overhaul its torpedo inventory as part of a congressional budget approval that embraces a "two-war" strategy, aiming to ensure sufficient quantities of undersea weapons for simultaneous major regional conflicts.

Manufacturers will focus on increasing supplies of the U.S. MK-48 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) heavyweight torpedoes and MK-54 lightweight torpedoes to meet minimum base requirements. The Navy has not specified the exact number of torpedoes required but indicated it is based on internal estimates for potential conflicts with near-peer adversaries.

The service is also tasked with developing a plan to significantly ramp up torpedo production if necessary, whether during wartime or peacetime. This strategic shift occurs as the U.S. military continues efforts to replenish missile and other weapons stockpiles depleted during recent operations, including those related to Iran.

Analysis of recent conflict expenditures, particularly those involving defending Israel and a U.S. air base in Qatar from Iranian counterstrikes, revealed significant consumption of offensive and defensive missile systems. The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) estimated that the U.S. and Israel spent between $1.48 billion and $1.58 billion during a recent 12-day exchange.

Prior to the conflict, the U.S. possessed approximately 632 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors. JINSA's calculations suggest that around 540 interceptors remain after accounting for deliveries and usage, indicating that the U.S. has expended 14% of its global THAAD stockpile. The U.S. THAAD system accounted for nearly half of all interceptions due to limitations in Israel's Arrow interception system. Replenishing the expended THAAD interceptors at current production rates could take between three to eight years.

While Patriot interceptor production is considered more robust than THAAD, the U.S. has supplied a number of these interceptors to Ukraine, leaving the remaining stockpile size uncertain. The overhaul of the Navy's torpedo capabilities addresses a critical issue highlighted by former Pentagon official Brent Sadler, who noted the declining munitions stockpiles as a long-standing concern since 2012.