- Published
The US defence department's inspector general says the war with Iran has led to "shortfalls" in munitions and a bottleneck in resupply, contradicting President Donald Trump who has repeatedly denied the US is facing shortages.
asserted
US → publish → shortages
Trump has claimed US munitions supplies are "virtually unlimited" and said reporting otherwise is "fake news".
But the independent watchdog said the US spent more than $22 billion on munitions from February through June, leading to "strategic inventory shortfalls".
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US → claim → shortfalls
When asked about the watchdog's report, the White House said the US had "more than enough" munitions.
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US → ask → munitions
The report provides a first-of-its-kind, independent glimpse into US weapons stockpiles, data that is typically classified.
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that → provide → classified
Previous estimates have painted a dire picture of the US shortages.
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estimates → paint → shortages
Over the course of the war, US forces have expended vast quantities of both long-range ground attack systems and the air and missile defences used to intercept incoming Iranian attacks.
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forces → expend → attacks
A late July estimate from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, found that stocks of some interceptors - such as the Patriot missile and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD - were significantly depleted, in some cases by more than half.
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stocks → find → half
The inspector general's report did not disclose exactly how many of the weapons remain.
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many → disclose → weapons
It did, however, note the inventory shortfalls and reveal "industrial base bottlenecks" for munitions resupply.
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It → note → resupply
The report added that the defence department is now working to "streamline procurement processes and production lead times" to address the shortages and "respond rapidly to a contingency".
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department → add → contingency
The White House has rejected the watchdog's assessment.
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House → reject → assessment
"The United States military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of the Commander-in-Chief's strategic goals and beyond," spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement on Tuesday.
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Kelly → have → Tuesday
Trump and other administration officials have also sought to cast reports of shortages as false and "treasonous".
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Trump → seek → shortages
In a 4 August X post, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described news reporting on the shortages as "not true".
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Hegseth → describe → shortages
And in a lengthy Truth Social post on 3 September, Trump claimed that the US had "virtually unlimited" amounts of ammunition and is "stockpiling and preparing for any contingency that could happen".
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that → claim → contingency
The watchdog's report also notes that equipment losses have totalled $3.7bn, with other $7.4bn in other expenditures.
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losses → note → expenditures
Overall, the US spent $33.4bn (£24.7bn) on the war from 28 Feb to 30 Jun.
A separate estimate released on Tuesday by the Congressional Budget Office put the total cost of the war at higher at $38bn, which includes replaced expended munitions and equipment lost in battle, increased flying hours and greater fuel costs.
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which → spend → battle
Among the losses have been four F-15e fighter jets, a highly advanced F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and 30 MQ-9 drones destroyed in "various circumstances".
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jets → destroy → circumstances
When US and Israeli strikes began, Trump repeatedly said that the conflict would be over within weeks.
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conflict → begin → weeks
More recently, he said the conflict might not end until "right after" the November midterm elections in the US.
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conflict → say → US
Polls show that the war is unpopular among Americans.
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war → show → Americans
One Reuters/Ipsos poll released in early September indicated that only 23% of Americans - and only half of Republicans - believe the US to be in a stronger position with Iran compared with before hostilities broke out.
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hostilities → release → Iran
The Aporia
