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PrSM Escalation: US Fires Missiles from Gulf

· 4 min read
Khalid Naami
Khalid Naami
Founder, Owner, and CEO at Dashboard Options

The United States military has escalated its campaign against Iran by deploying ground-launched ballistic missiles directly from the soils of its Gulf allies. In an official release from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), military officials confirmed the first combat deployment of the new Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) during "Operation Epic Fury."

Video footage and telemetry released by CENTCOM show the truck-mounted missile platforms firing from deep within the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula toward targets inside Iran. This development directly implicates regional host nations—such as Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Bahrain—in U.S. offensive operations, exposing them to direct Iranian retaliation despite their diplomatic attempts to declare neutrality.

The Combat Debut of the PrSM​

The launches, which began on February 18, 2026—the morning after the coordinated strikes that killed Iran's leadership—represent a significant shift in U.S. tactical options. Facing a depletion of its primary ship-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles, CENTCOM has turned to ground-launched ballistic systems to strike Iran's deep defenses.

Admiral Brad Cooper, Deputy Commander of CENTCOM, publicly thanked his forces for "employing innovation" to put the Iranian military in a difficult position. The deployment marks the first combat use of the PrSM:

  • The Launch Platform: The PrSM is launched from M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) truck launchers and M270A2 MLRS tracked platforms. These highly mobile systems can deploy, launch, and displace within minutes, making them difficult to target.
  • Tactical Specifications: Developed by Lockheed Martin as a replacement for the aging ATACMS, the first block of the PrSM has a range of 499 kilometers (approximately 310 miles), with future blocks planned to exceed 1,000 kilometers.
  • Capacity Advantage: Unlike the ATACMS, which allowed only one missile per launch pod, the PrSM fits two missiles per pod. This doubles the firepower of each launcher, enabling U.S. forces to target command centers and air defense arrays with high-density precision salvos.

PrSM HIMARS Launch Desert

A U.S. Army HIMARS platform firing a precision missile from a desert location in the Arabian Peninsula.

Implicating Gulf Allies: The Kuwait and F-15 Vector​

The launch of land-based ballistic missiles from the Arabian Peninsula has shattered the diplomatic defenses of Gulf cooperation partners. While countries like Kuwait and Qatar have publicly stated they would not allow their airspace, waters, or soil to be used for offensive actions against Iran, the physical reality of ground launches from their deserts has bypassed these declarations.

This tension was illustrated by the recent downing of a U.S. F-15 fighter jet in Kuwait. Following the incident, the Kuwaiti government faced domestic pressure regarding the use of its bases for strikes on Iran, as detailed in the US F-15 cyber attack.

To manage the diplomatic fallout, CENTCOM quickly issued a statement claiming the crash was the result of a "friendly fire" incident and technical failure. However, regional observers note that the classification was designed to deny Iran credit for the interception and defuse local protests against the U.S. military presence.

Stockpile Depletion and Withdrawal Backtracks​

The intensive use of the PrSM highlights a major logistical crisis within the Pentagon. Due to concurrent supply commitments in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the U.S. has fired its entire current annual inventory of newly manufactured PrSMs to preserve its remaining Tomahawk reserves.

This inventory depletion is occurring alongside a confusing troop management strategy:

  1. Evacuation Backtracks: While initial CENTCOM reports and satellite imagery confirmed the withdrawal of 9,000 troops (plus 1,500 on evacuation lists) from primary bases like Al Udeid Air Base, the Pentagon has begun backtracking.
  2. Narrative Adjustment: U.S. officials now claim that no net withdrawal has occurred, attempting to integrate the departing personnel into a broader "rotational return" of 17,000 troops from the wider Middle East to mask the retreat.
  3. Vulnerability: Despite these narrative adjustments, the physical deployment of ground-launched missiles from Gulf soils means that regional states remain directly in the line of fire of Iran's retaliatory strikes, regardless of U.S. attempts to shield them from the geopolitical fallout.

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