Story summary
The US military is facing significant shortages of weapons and ammunition due to its conflict with Iran, which began on February 28. A Pentagon watchdog report released on Monday revealed that between February 28 and June 30, the war cost an estimated $33.4 billion, with $22.3 billion spent solely on munitions. The US has lost or damaged numerous aircraft, including four F-15 fighter jets destroyed, one F-35 jet damaged, seven KC-135 tanker aircraft (five of which were hit by Iranian munitions in Saudi Arabia), and up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones destroyed. Additionally, hundreds of buildings at US bases across Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan have been damaged or destroyed by Iranian attacks. Despite this, President Trump has repeatedly dismissed concerns over weapon shortages, claiming the U.S. possesses "virtually unlimited" ammunition.
Written for “Iran Us War Shortages” on 2026-09-15,
grounded in this article and the 5 other(s) covering the same event.
The Defense Department’s inspector general released its first report on the war with Iran on Monday, saying the conflict has resulted in a shortfall of U.S. munitions and “bottlenecks” in supply chains as the Trump administration works to replenish weaponry.
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administration → release → weaponry
“To mitigate these constraints,” the report said, the Pentagon is “working to streamline procurement processes and production lead times, and to stockpile critical materials, components, and selected munitions to respond rapidly to a contingency.”
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Pentagon → mitigate → contingency
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has denied reports that the U.S. is running low on munitions.
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U.S. → deny → munitions
President Donald Trump said Monday on Truth Social that the U.S. is “producing more Exquisite and Elite Weapons than at any time in our History.
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U.S. → say → History
They are being delivered on a daily basis to our Forces in the Middle East and beyond.”
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They → deliver → East
Two weeks ago, Trump posted that the U.S. had “virtually unlimited” amounts of ammunition and lashed out at reports of munitions shortfalls.
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U.S. → post → shortfalls
The congressionally mandated report covers from the start of the war on Feb. 28 through June 30.
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report → mandate → June
It is one of the first public accountings from any government agency detailing the cost, scope and scale of the U.S.- and Israel-led conflict to the U.S. military, the State Department and other agencies.
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It → detail → military
It follows reports of low morale among U.S. troops deployed to the Middle East, a depleting stockpile of key munitions and extensive damage to American military and intelligence assets in the region.
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It → follow → region
Among the findings, the report provides one of the first government confirmations that Iran targeted the U.S. Navy’s main logistics hub in the region, in Bahrain, with drones and ballistic missiles.
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Iran → provide → drones
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
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Pentagon → respond → report
It does not address what was most likely a U.S. strike on an elementary school in Iran during the initial hours of strikes.
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what → address → strikes
The military has yet to release an internal investigation into the bombing; NBC News reported in June that a report was being finalized.
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report → have → June
The watchdog’s report details the damage to military equipment, aircraft and other materiel over the first four months of the war, including the destruction of at least 30 large U.S. drones.
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report → detail → drones
It says the war with Iran has cost roughly $33.4 billion, which does not account for repairing damaged facilities.
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which → say → facilities
It does include $22.3 billion in expended munitions, $3.7 billion for equipment losses and $7.4 billion in other expenditures.
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It → include → expenditures
NBC News reported in July that the war had so far cost $80 billion to $100 billion, according to three U.S. officials and three people familiar with the internal cost estimates.
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war → report → estimates
The Pentagon publicly said in July that the war cost $37.5 billion.
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war → say → billion
Its estimate does not include the cost of replacing aircraft, repairing U.S. bases and replenishing critical weaponry.
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estimate → include → weaponry
Trump initially said the war would last for only weeks.
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war → say → weeks
But over the weekend, he said it might not end until “right after” November’s midterm elections or perhaps before.
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it → say → elections
The report also finds that the war has displaced more than 20,000 U.S. military and diplomatic personnel, who were relocated at the outset of the conflict and in the days and weeks after.
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who → find → days
Most medical evaluations of injured U.S. forces were carried out on the ground, some by local ambulances, and the patients were taken to local treatment facilities because airlift capabilities had been moved because of concerns.
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capabilities → injure → concerns
And U.S. forces flew as many as 5,000 flights from European bases in support of the war, though Trump has bitterly complained that European allies have not done enough to help support the war.
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allies → fly → war
The report catalogs some of the damage to U.S. aircraft and other military gear, as well as some of the American bases in the region.
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report → catalog → region
Aircraft costs, for example, include destruction or extensive damage to four F-15E jet fighters, an F-35A Joint Strike Fighter and an A-10 Warthog, which was also destroyed, according to the report.
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which → include → report
Twelve KC-135 refuelers and nine other aircraft were also destroyed, the report says.
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report → destroy → ?
More than 30 MQ-9 drones had also been destroyed as of June, according to the report, citing the Congressional Research Service.
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drones → destroy → Service
The State Department sustained more than $208 million in damage in four countries — Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — according to the report.
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Department → sustain → report
That includes $184 million in damages to “diplomatic facilities” and $25 million more due to delays in construction projects, the report says.
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report → include → projects
The damage Iran inflicted on U.S. military bases had been far more extensive than is publicly known, NBC News reported in April.
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News → inflict → April
Iran also caused more damage to America’s intelligence and surveillance assets in the region than U.S. spy agencies have ever endured, and it is estimated to cost billions to repair, NBC News reported last month.
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News → cause → billions
The report does not touch on the morale of U.S. troops who have been deployed as part of the war effort.
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who → touch → effort
In recent weeks, concerns about deteriorating conditions for troops serving in the Middle East on the USS Abraham Lincoln during an extended deployment had escalated, and the Pentagon announced it was replacing the aircraft carrier.
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it → deteriorate → carrier
The Aporia
