The American Missile Crisis

US munitions stockpiles have declined dramatically since the Cold War and could be depleted within days in a major Pacific conflict, creating a national security crisis driven by a critical production bottleneck. The primary constraint is ammonium perchlorate (AP), the oxidizer used in solid-rocket motors, with only one remaining US producer after a 1988 explosion at PEPCON eliminated competition in the sector. The article argues that transitioning to liquid-propulsion missiles powered by commercially available fuels represents the most viable solution to rebuild sustainable munitions production capacity.