Daniel Wolfram
According to a new mandatory report, the first of its kind, American munitions are running dangerously low.
The war against Iran is rapidly burning through American ammunition. Watchdogs are sounding the alarm.
According to an AFP report on a mandatory review sent to Congress, Operation Epic Fury (OEF), which is the name for the United States’ war with Israel against Iran, cost $33.4 billion between late February and June.
Over $22 billion went to expended munitions alone.
Inventory running low
The heavy firing caused dangerous gaps in inventory.
“The munitions expenditure on OEF has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply,” the report stated.
Military leaders in the Pentagon are scrambling for quick fixes. Officials are “working to streamline procurement processes and production lead times, and to stockpile critical materials, components, and selected munitions,” the report states, though expanding factory output takes “significant lead time.”
Trump claims otherwise
These official findings contradict claims coming directly from the White House. President Donald Trump has categorically denied those concerns, insisting its stockpile remains “virtually unlimited.”
He doubled down online. On Truth Social, he asserted the country makes more elite weapons than ever, but reports from CNN show planners have already exhausted nearly 80% of key THAAD interceptors.
The crisis reaches far beyond Washington. Foreign allies relying on American defense agreements, including Ukraine and Taiwan, now face deep uncertainty over upcoming arms shipments.
While Ukraine and Taiwan may be missing out on important arms, the US just sold 40,000 bombs worth up to $2.8 billion to Israel.
American equipment has also taken a hit
It is not just munitions that are running low for the US military. Four F-15 fighters and up to 30 Reaper drones were destroyed in combat, alongside damage to several refuelers and a stealth jet.
Iranian forces retaliated aggressively across the Middle East. Strikes have damaged hundreds of US bases in Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Furthermore, seven US service members were killed in action with seven Americans dead and 417 injured.
