Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner fires a Tomahawk land attack missile in support of Operation Epic Fury on Mar. 1, 2026. The U.S. has used more Tomahawk missiles in the month-old Operation Epic Fury than in any previous campaign, according to a think tank analysis of strike data. (CENTCOM)
The U.S. military has fired more Tomahawk missiles during the month-old Operation Epic Fury than in any other military campaign in history, according to a think tank analysis of reported strike data.
“Replenishing inventory after this campaign will take time, and creates near-term risk for the United States,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a new analysis.
The findings come after The Washington Post reported that the U.S. Navy has fired more than 850 Tomahawks since the Feb. 28 start of the military operation against Iran. The report, citing unnamed U.S. officials, noted that some in the Pentagon had raised concerns about the usage rate.
If the 850-strike figure is accurate, that puts Operation Epic Fury ahead of 2003’s Operation Iraqi Freedom, which involved 802 Tomahawk strikes during the invasion, according to the CSIS analysis.
Operation Desert Fox, a 70-hour bombing campaign in Iraq in 1998, was next on the list with 325 Tomahawk strikes.
Operation Desert Storm, launched in 1991 against Iraq, marked the first time the weapon was used in combat. During that 42-day campaign, the Tomahawk was launched 288 times, CSIS reported.
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black fires a Tomahawk land attack missile in support of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, 2026. The U.S. has fired more Tomahawk missiles during Operation Epic Fury, now a month underway, than in any previous campaign, according to a think tank analysis of strike data. (U.S. Navy)
The Tomahawk, built by Raytheon, is a precision cruise missile launched from ships, submarines and ground launchers and can hit targets around 1,000 miles away.
CSIS said 850 missiles would likely account for around half of currently available launchers in the Middle East region.
“These launchers cannot be reloaded at sea. Ships would need to return to port with requisite infrastructure once they are out of missiles,” the CSIS analysis stated.
The think tank said the Navy is set to receive 110 Tomahawks in fiscal year 2026 and that existing stockpiles are estimated to be in the low-3,000s.
White House and Pentagon officials have stressed that the U.S. military has enough munitions to conduct the Iran war.
However, the CSIS report said, the “high expenditure of Tomahawks and other missiles in Operation Epic Fury creates risks for the United States in other theaters—particularly the Western Pacific.”
