The U.S. military is experiencing a shortfall in ammunition following its conflict with Iran, according to defense officials. This situation arises despite President Donald Trump's repeated assertions that American munitions stockpiles remain fully replenished.
A report presented to Congress on Monday by an inspector detailed that Operation Epic Fury (OEF), the U.S. name for its joint campaign with Israel aimed at diminishing Iran's military power, incurred an estimated cost of $33.4 billion between February 28 and June 30. Of this total, $22.3 billion was spent on expended munitions.
"The munitions expenditure on OEF has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply," the report stated. To address these issues and mitigate delays, the Pentagon is actively working to streamline procurement processes, reduce production lead times, and stockpile critical materials, components, and selected munitions. However, the report also noted that expanding production capacities requires significant lead time.
This ammunition shortfall could raise concerns for countries like Ukraine and Taiwan, which depend on U.S. arms purchases for their defense. Ukraine urgently requires more interceptor missiles for its Patriot air defense systems in its ongoing conflict with Russia, while Taiwan relies on arms agreements with Washington to deter potential aggression from China.
President Trump has consistently downplayed concerns about depleted weapons stores. He recently stated on his Truth Social platform that the U.S. is producing "more Exquisite and Elite Weapons than at any time in our History." However, previous reports indicated that shortages of long-range guided missiles and air-defense interceptors had impacted U.S. strategy in the conflict, with the military having "nearly exhausted 80 per cent" of its stock of THAAD interceptors.
During the initial 24 hours of the conflict with Iran, the U.S. struck over 1,000 targets, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The report also detailed losses to the American military fleet, including four F-15 fighter jets destroyed, one F-35 fighter jet damaged, seven KC-135 tanker aircraft damaged, and up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones destroyed.
Furthermore, the report confirmed that the U.S. Navy's primary logistics hub in the region, located in Bahrain, was targeted by Iran with drone and ballistic missile strikes. Hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases across Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan sustained damage or were destroyed by Iranian strikes. The costs associated with these damages are not yet included in the report's estimates, as it remains unclear if all bases will be rebuilt or who will bear the expense.
As of June 30, seven U.S. service members had been killed in action and seven in non-hostile events during OEF combat operations. An additional 417 service members were wounded in action.
The conflict with Iran began on February 28. Western powers have long accused the Islamic Republic of pursuing nuclear weapons, a claim that Tehran has consistently denied. The conflict has also had an impact on global energy markets, contributing to a surge in oil prices and record fuel costs in the UK. Concerns have been exacerbated by damage to a key Saudi oil pipeline, threatening to reduce global supply.