The US military consumed $5.6 billion in munitions in two days of its attack on Iran
Preliminary estimates by Pentagon officials revealed that the cost of the munitions consumed by the US airstrikes on Iran during the first two days of the military operation amounted to about $5.6 billion.
The record has raised serious concerns in Congress about the speed at which US stockpiles of advanced weapons are being depleted and its impact on military readiness.
According to US officials who testified before Congress on Monday that the massive spending represents only the first wave of strikes, bringing lawmakers’ questions about the sustainability and long-term impact of such operations to the forefront.
The Pentagon is reassuring, as a plan for additional funding
in an effort to reassure Congress, President Trump’s administration has repeatedly downplayed concerns about stockpile depletion.
A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed in a statement to the newspaper that the US military has everything it needs to carry out any mission at a time and place chosen by the president, and within any time frame.
The White House plans to submit a request to Congress for an additional defense funding package worth billions of dollars to support ongoing operations.
The US military has reportedly begun to gradually shift in its tactics, from the use of high-cost precision munitions (costing millions of dollars per projectile) to less expensive laser-guided bombs (estimated at $100,000 per strike).
Advanced air defense systems such as THAAD and Patriot have also been moved from their bases in Asia to the theater of operations, after securing air control.
According to the New York Times, since the war began on February 28, the Pentagon used hundreds of precision weapons and has been able to hit more than 5,000 targets with more than 2,000 shells.
President Trump was quoted as saying that, after meeting with top defense contractors, they agreed to quadruple the production of some weapons.
The concern wasn’t limited to Washington, but extended to European allies, as Politico quoted European officials as saying they were deeply concerned about the speed of US stockpile depletion.
Some European countries, which were pressured by Washington to buy US weapons and send them to Ukraine, now need to rebuild their stockpiles, but fear delivery delays or unavailability due to priority operations in the Middle East.
“The munitions that have been fired and will be released are the ones that everyone needs to get in large numbers,” an official from Northern Europe told Politico.
Regarding the human casualties in the US military, the number of casualties among the US forces involved in the war against Iran may be much higher than what the Pentagon has officially announced.
Preliminary information suggests that up to 150 soldiers have been wounded so far, as many as 150 US soldiers have been wounded so far in the war against Iran, a figure that sharply contrasts with the Pentagon’s previous official toll, which had been limited to 8 soldiers with injuries described as serious.
