US-Iran War Leaves Pentagon Facing Ammunition Shortfalls – Report
The United States military is facing strategic ammunition shortfalls and delays in weapons replenishment following its military campaign against Iran, according to a report by the Department of Defence’s Office of Inspector General.
The report, released Monday, disclosed that the US military expended an estimated $22.3 billion worth of munitions during Operation Epic Fury between February 28 and June 30.
The total cost of the operation during the period was estimated at $33.4 billion, according to the mandatory report submitted to Congress.
“The munitions expenditure on OEF has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply,” the inspector general’s report stated.
Operation Epic Fury, the US designation for its joint military campaign with Israel, was launched to “destroy Iran’s ability to project military power,” according to the US Central Command.
The report said the Pentagon was working to address the shortages by streamlining procurement procedures, reducing production lead times and stockpiling critical materials, components and selected munitions.
However, it warned that expanding weapons production capacity would require “significant lead time.”
The disclosure could raise concerns among US allies, including Ukraine and Taiwan, which depend on American weapons supplies to counter larger and potentially hostile neighbours.
Ukraine urgently requires additional interceptor missiles for its US-made Patriot air defence systems in its war against Russia, while Taiwan relies on American arms agreements to strengthen its defence against China, which claims sovereignty over the self-governing island.
Trump Dismisses Concerns
The report contrasts with repeated assurances by President Donald Trump that the United States has sufficient ammunition despite the prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
Trump recently claimed that the US had “virtually unlimited” ammunition.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday, the president also said the United States was producing “more exquisite and elite weapons than at any time in our history.”
However, CNN had previously reported that shortages of long-range guided missiles and air-defence interceptors had influenced the Trump administration’s military strategy in the conflict with Iran.
The report indicated that the US military had nearly exhausted 80 per cent of its stock of Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) interceptors.
According to the US Central Command, American forces struck more than 1,000 targets during the first 24 hours of the war against Iran. However, the military has not conducted attacks on a similar scale in subsequent months.
US Military Equipment, Bases Hit
The inspector general’s report documented significant losses and damage to American military equipment during the operation.
The losses included four F-15 fighter jets destroyed, one F-35 fighter damaged, seven KC-135 aerial refuelling tankers damaged and as many as 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones destroyed.
It also confirmed that Iran targeted the US Navy’s main logistics hub in the region, located in Bahrain, with drone and ballistic missile strikes.
Hundreds of buildings and other structures at American military installations in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan were reportedly damaged or destroyed during Iranian attacks.
However, the inspector general excluded the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged infrastructure from its estimates, noting that it remained unclear whether all the affected bases would be rebuilt or who would bear the costs.
As of June 30, seven US service members had been killed in action, while another seven died in non-hostile incidents during Operation Epic Fury combat operations.
A further 417 American service members sustained combat-related injuries, the report stated.
The United States and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran on February 28.
For decades, Western powers have accused Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, allegations Tehran has consistently denied.
Source: AFP
Leave feedback about this