All articles tagged with #munitions
Official US government reports reveal that Operation Epic Fury has cost over $3.3 billion in aircraft and equipment, with the MQ-9 Reaper drone fleet suffering the heaviest losses. The conflict has depleted critical missile stockpiles, raising concerns among military commanders about the US ability to deter China in the Pacific.
The Pentagon told Congress that the Iran war has cost $43.6 billion as of Sept. 3, a figure likely undercounting because it excludes base repairs; most spending goes to replacing munitions ($28.1B), with more than 50,000 troops deployed, 18 dead and 800+ wounded, and concerns about ammunition shortages affecting readiness.
A Pentagon inspector general report finds the Iran war has created U.S. munitions shortages and resupply bottlenecks, contradicting Trump’s claim of virtually unlimited stockpiles; it notes roughly $22 billion spent on munitions from February to June and $33.4 billion total for the war, with losses including four F-15Es, an F-35, and 30 MQ-9 drones, while the DoD works to streamline procurement to close the gaps.
The Pentagon inspector general’s first public report on the Iran–U.S.-led war warns of a munitions shortfall and bottlenecks in supply chains as the Defense Department replenishes weaponry. Covering Feb. 28 to June 30, the document notes damage to aircraft and bases, total costs around $33.4 billion (including about $22.3 billion in expended munitions) and the relocation of more than 20,000 personnel, with the DoD seeking to streamline procurement and stockpile critical materials to respond quickly to contingencies. Despite denial from defense leadership about shortages, the report underscores continued strain on U.S. munitions inventories during the ongoing conflict.
President Trump attacked media coverage of US munitions shortages in the Iran war, claiming production is at “levels never seen before” and stockpiles are more than enough. Independent experts note shortages in key weapons—Patriot and THAAD interceptors, Tomahawks, JASSMs, and PrSMs—and warn replenishment could take years, potentially weakening deterrence. The report also highlights Trump’s pattern of pressuring regulators and targeting outlets over coverage.
President Donald Trump said the U.S. will ask Europe to pay back munitions sent to Ukraine, arguing Europe would have funded the weapons and blaming Biden for any stockpile shortfalls; he defended the defense stockpile amid the Iran conflict and called reports of shortages “treasonous,” noting that CSIS data show dwindling Patriot and THAAD interceptors as the war persists.
A Russian drone strike hit a military munitions warehouse in Myla near Kyiv, killing 37 people and wounding 42 as fires and explosions raged. Hundreds were evacuated as authorities said the depot stored shells and drones, and prosecutors opened a probe into illegal storage near residential areas.
As the Iran conflict enters its sixth month, Tehran resists concessions while the U.S. faces munitions shortages and mounting wear aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, prompting whispers of an off-ramp as officials and GOP allies grow uneasy ahead of the midterms, with new questions raised by a secret Air Force One plane switch and claims of decimated Iranian capabilities that critics say undercut the war’s rationale.
President Trump vowed to hunt down leakers after reports that the U.S. and its allies have burned through most of their offensive missiles (ATACMS, PrSMs) and are running low on Patriot and THAAD interceptors amid the US-Israel war on Iran, with replenishment expected to take years. He denied strategic disadvantage, claimed vast production, and branded leakers as treasonous, while a Washington Post report alleged Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth misled him about shortages. Experts warn the interceptor shortfall harms deterrence and could raise the risk of miscalculation as the conflict continues.
Donald Trump rejected reports of a US weapons shortage, claiming the country has massive munitions stockpiles and is increasing production, while threatening long prison terms for leakers; the remarks appear amid scrutiny of US weapon use in the Iran conflict and broader debates over Patriot missiles and aid to Ukraine.
Senate Republicans are warming to using a third reconciliation package to replenish the Pentagon’s depleted munitions stocks, contingent on House Speaker Johnson advancing a multi-step plan (rule, stopgap funding, and a budget resolution). The White House signals a fallback stopgap to avert a shutdown as Trump pressures for the budget step; however, support for reconciliation 3.0 remains nuanced, with some Republicans seeking offsets and others wary, while the Senate waits on House progress to determine how far to push the package.
During a Face the Nation interview, Pete Hegseth argued that the United States has strong, growing munitions stockpiles and is accelerating production, while Margaret Brennan pressed him on what she described as a private-sector stockpile crisis; Hegseth defended expansion and international co-production, noting past testimony that rebuilding could take years, and the exchange touched on Ukraine aid and Europe paying for munitions.
Analyst Mahnken argues that U.S. wars are rarely quick; to prevail in extended conflicts (as with Iran), the United States must combine high-end capability with mass by expanding long-term munitions production, hardening bases, and strengthening the defense industrial base, while relying on allies and adopting new technologies (long-range munitions, directed energy, satellites) and layered defenses to deter and win protracted campaigns across multiple theaters.
A suspected World War II-era bomb exploded beneath a stilt house in a fishing village in Indonesia's Papua region, killing five people and injuring about 19, with nine homes destroyed and several people missing as authorities search the area.
A CSIS analysis concludes that replenishing U.S. inventories of Tomahawk missiles and Patriot/THAAD interceptors—heavily used in the Iran conflict—will take several years. Projections place Tomahawk replenishment around 2030 and Patriot/THAAD by 2029, meaning a prolonged vulnerability even as defense spending and production capacity expand. Some officials insist inventories are sufficient for a range of scenarios, but experts warn lead times and complex supply chains limit how quickly stockpiles can be rebuilt in a future conflict with China.