US defense chiefs warn of munitions shortfall over Iran war
President Donald Trump’s “Operation Epic Fury” assault on Iran cost $33.4 billion in its first four months and has resulted in a munitions shortfall, according to a report by the Department of Defense’s inspector general.
The 44-page report to Congress states that, between February 28 and June 30, the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran saw the Trump administration spend $22.3 billion on munitions alone.
The onslaught “has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply,” Inspector General Platte B Moring III concludes.
His report also lists the damage done to American military assets by Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, listing four F-15Es and and up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones as destroyed and one F-35A, seven KC-135 tanker aircraft and seven helicopters as damaged.
The F-35A plane is the first of its type to be compromised by enemy fire, according to CNBC, and would cost $92 million to replace. An F-15E, meanwhile, costs $31.1 million to produce, U.S. Air Force data indicates, putting the pricetag for replacing four at $124.4 million.
The U.S. also spent $79.2 million responding to emergencies arising from the conflict “such as evacuation-related expenses for State personnel and their family members, U.S. citizens, and eligible third-country nationals.”
Damage done to U.S. diplomatic premises in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. add another $184 million to the bill.
Even further expense was incurred by Iranian strikes on military buildings and infrastructure in the U.S.-allied Gulf states of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan, although no cost is calculated in the report as it is not yet clear whether they will be restored and who would pay for the work.
The Independent has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies was asked by CBS News, in response to the report’s findings, whether he believed the U.S. still had a sufficient supply of munitions to call upon.
“For a war against Iran, the answer is yes,” he answered. “The problem is a war against China. We might be able to provide enough munitions for a month, but getting on to month two or month three or four, that’s a great challenge.”
Trump himself has repeatedly insisted the U.S. has no munitions supply issues but was angered when it was reported in early August that he had confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the matter at Camp David in Maryland, reportedly saying he thought the problem “had been fixed.”
The president took to Truth Social in anger over the story, threatening the “leakers” who spoke to the press with jail.
Reuters reported around the same time that the U.S. Army had significantly depleted its stockpile of long-range missiles, using up “virtually all” of its crucial surface-to-surface weapons.
Trump was back on his social media platform Monday to claim: “The United States is producing more Exquisite and Elite Weapons than at any time in our History.
“They are being delivered on a daily basis to our Forces in the Middle East, and beyond. Our Defense Company Factories are moving 24/7, while at the same time building, on average, 4 to 5 largescale brand new Plants, each!
“A primary focus of this production has been Patriots, THAAD Systems, Tomahawks, and other Standard Missile Systems, of which we already have large numbers in stock.”
His unpopular war has rumbled on for another 10 weeks since the period documented by the report and shows no obvious sign of coming to an end even now, although Trump has said he is “open” to negotiations with Iran while stressing the final decision rests with him.
At least 18 U.S. soldiers have been killed and more than 750 service members injured in the conflict.
