Good morning. Five months into the Iran War, the U.S. military has fired a large number of missiles.

Missiles are used offensively, to hit targets, and defensively, to intercept Iranian attacks. War requires a lot of both kinds.

There are concerns in Washington about how many missiles the U.S. military has left.

It can take between three and five years to make a new missile, depending on the missile, according to the Center for Strategic & International Studies. The White House and the Pentagon are pressing defense contractors to speed up this process, but there's only so much that can be done. Making a missile is a lot more complicated than making a lawn mower.

The government doesn't want to reveal how many missiles it has left as is doesn't want to telegraph to Iran (or Russia, or China or North Korea, for that matter), that the U.S. might have vulnerabilities. To be clear, these are numbers the government never wants to release, even during peacetime. Munitions stockpiles are closely guarded. (In a sign of the era we are in, if you ask high-profile AI platforms to estimate the remaining stockpile of U.S. missiles, you will get an answer. Of course, this isn't the government's actual data set).

President Trump, for his part, has said the U.S. has more than enough missiles. Still, there is tremendous concern within U.S. government that if the Iran war picks up precipitously, which it easily could, this strain could become even more acute. That's why, with the U.S. at a new inflection point in the Iran standoff, officials are wrestling with how to proceed, even if they won't reveal the specific numbers underlying this tension.

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People and Policies I'm Watching

Canada-U.S. bridge: The Gordie Howe International Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is to open to traffic Monday after becoming a flashpoint in strained U.S.-Canada relations.

Trump's Monday: The president is to visit a General Motors facility in Milford, Mich., where he is to deliver a speech at 2:50 p.m. after watching a drag race and vehicle demonstration at 1:55 p.m., before returning to the White House.

What I'm Following

Darline Graham is making a fast transition to Capitol Hill politics. Her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died July 11, will be memorialized Tuesday at Washington's National Cathedral following a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda and then laid to rest Wednesday in South Carolina. In the span of a week, she was sworn into office, co-sponsored her first piece of legislation and made a huge political decision -- to run for a full six-year term. She faces a competitive primary next month after Trump's endorsement failed to scare away GOP opponents.

Footage shows Lindsey Graham's push for the Iran war. The influential South Carolina senator focused much of his attention in his final days on the war with Iran, according to unreleased footage from a documentary about the South Carolina lawmaker that was being filmed before he died earlier this month. The footage, captured by filmmaker Alex Holder, who had been granted extensive access to Graham since 2023, provides a look at Graham's yearslong quest to topple the Iranian regime, his involvement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and how he persuaded Trump to strike.

Support for Israel aid slips among House Democrats. More than 100 House Democrats voted for an amendment this month that sought to cut off military financing for Israel. The vote, which failed, was seen as a barometer of where the party stands amid growing concern about Israel's military actions in Gaza. The left wing has long been critical of Israel. But the recent vote showed how other Democrats have grown frustrated with Netanyahu's government. Opinion polls have also found support for Israel among U.S. voters falling sharply -- particularly Democrats.

What Else Is Happening

   -- Big companies are starting to hire again, defying predictions of an AI 
      wipeout. 
 
   -- Wisconsin officials recently warned that voters can't legally cast a 
      ballot in an election they bet on. 
 
   -- A federal probe into the Dodgers owner's financial empire was sparked by 
      a whistleblower. 
 
   -- Democrat Sherrod Brown of Ohio is facing a tough fight to return to the 
      Senate. 

What I'm Reading

   -- George Cottrell Paid Thousands to Trump Ally Whose State Jailed Him (The 
      Sunday Times) 
 
   -- Usha Vance Does Not Need Saving (The Free Press) 
 
   -- Khanna Joins Mamdani in Calling for Netanyahu's Arrest in U.S. (The 
      Washington Times) 

About Me

I'm Damian Paletta, The Wall Street Journal's Washington coverage chief. I've covered Washington for 22 years as a reporter and editor. I've covered the White House, Congress, national security, the federal budget, economics and multiple market meltdowns.

WSJ Politics brings you an expert guide to what's driving D.C., every weekday morning. Send your feedback to politics@wsj.com (if you're reading this in your inbox, you can just hit reply). This edition was curated and edited in collaboration with Joe Erwin and Michael Connolly. Got a tip for us? Here's how to submit.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 27, 2026 06:59 ET (10:59 GMT)

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