Overview
- In early May the US defense secretary told Japan’s defense minister by phone that deliveries tied to a 2025–27 Tomahawk purchase could be delayed by as much as two years, according to reports from the Financial Times and Japanese outlets.
- Japan has a signed contract to buy up to 400 Tomahawk cruise missiles, split between Block 5 and Block 4 variants, for installation on all eight of the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Aegis destroyers.
- Analysts and reporting attribute the shortfall to heavy operational use of Tomahawks in strikes on Iran, with CSIS estimating US forces fired more than 1,000 of roughly 3,100 missiles in recent operations.
- The US has reportedly given similar delay warnings to other allies, including the UK and Poland, underscoring a wider strain on allied missile supply chains.
- If delays materialize, Japan’s planned revisions to its national security strategy and the timing for fielding ship-based strike capabilities could be pushed back while officials seek alternatives or revised delivery schedules and no formal rescheduling has yet been published.