The US Defense Department’s inspector general has disclosed that the United States is experiencing ammunition shortfalls as a result of its ongoing war in Iran.
In a mandatory report to Congress, the first of its kind, the inspector said Operation Epic Fury (OEF), conducted between 28 February and 30 June, cost an estimated $33.4 billion. Of that, $22.3 billion was spent on expended munitions.
The report noted that the scale of munitions use has created “strategic inventory shortfalls” and exposed bottlenecks in the industrial base for resupply, reports CBS News.
The document also listed losses of American military assets: four F‑15 fighter jets destroyed, one F‑35 damaged, seven KC‑135 tanker aircraft damaged, and up to 30 MQ‑9 Reaper drones destroyed.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly dismissed concerns about depleted weapons stockpiles, insisting the US has “virtually unlimited” ammunition. On Monday, he reiterated on Truth Social that the country is producing “more Exquisite and Elite Weapons than at any time in our History.”
At the outset of the war, US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported striking more than 1,000 targets in the first 24 hours, though such large‑scale attacks have not been repeated in recent months. The inspector general’s report also noted Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases across Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan. Those costs were not included in the estimates, as it remains unclear whether all facilities will be rebuilt or who will bear the expense.
Additional expenditures included $79.2 million for contingency responses such as evacuations of State Department personnel, US citizens, and third‑country nationals. Damage to US diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE was estimated at $184 million.
CBS Sunday Morning recently visited Lockheed Martin’s Arkansas facility producing the latest Patriot air defense missiles, each costing about $4 million. The company currently manufactures 750 units annually.
Asked whether the US has sufficient weapons to sustain the war, Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said supplies are adequate for Iran but warned that a conflict with China would pose a greater challenge: “We might be able to provide enough munitions for a month but getting on to month two or three or four, that’s a great challenge.”
The Pentagon has denied claims of shortages, though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has urged the defense industry to accelerate production. Lockheed Martin missile division head Tim Cahill described the effort as “controlled chaos,” saying, “Move fast, figure it out, find what our obstacles are, break them down.”
