US military says Iran war has led to munitions shortfall

• The US Defence Department reports a $33.4 billion cost for Operation Epic Fury, with $22.3 billion spent on munitions, causing strategic ammunition shortages and industrial bottlenecks.
• Significant losses include four F-15s destroyed, one F-35 damaged, seven tankers damaged, and up to 30 drones lost during the Iran conflict.
• President Trump claims unlimited ammo production despite reported shortages, while Iranian strikes damaged hundreds of US base structures across the Middle East, with repair costs uncertain.

WASHINGTON – The US is facing a shortfall in ammunition as a result of its war against Iran, the Defence Department’s inspector-general confirmed on Sept 14, contrasting with President Donald Trump’s assertions of full stocks.

In a first-of-its-kind mandatory report to Congress, the inspector said that between Feb 28 and June 30, Operation Epic Fury (OEF) had an estimated cost of US$33.4 billion (S$42.3 billion), including US$22.3 billion 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 said.

OEF is the US name for its joint campaign with Israel to “destroy Iran’s ability to project military power”, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).

To deal with shortfalls and delays, the Pentagon is “working to streamline procurement processes and production lead times, and to stockpile critical materials, components, and selected munitions”, the report said, though it noted that expanding production capacities requires “significant lead time”.

The shortfall is likely to cause concern among governments like Ukraine and Taiwan, who rely on weapons purchases from the US to fight or deter much larger, hostile neighbours.

Ukraine urgently needs more interceptor missiles for US-made Patriot air defence systems in its war against Russia, while Taiwan depends on arms agreements with Washington to ward off China, which claims the self-ruled island as its own.

Trump has repeatedly brushed off concerns of depleted weapons stores during the six months of war in the Middle East, saying recently the US has “virtually unlimited” ammunition.

On Sept 14, Trump posted to his Truth Social platform, saying again that the US is producing “more exquisite and elite weapons than at any time in our history”.

CNN previously reported that shortages of long-range guided missiles and air defence interceptors had affected Trump’s strategy in the conflict with Iran, with the US military having “nearly exhausted 80 per cent” of its stock of THAAD interceptors.

During the first 24 hours of war against Iran, the US struck more than 1,000 targets, CENTCOM has said, and has not returned to such large-scale attacks in recent months.

The report identified losses to the American fleet, including four F-15s destroyed, one F-35 damaged, seven KC-135 tanker aircraft damaged and up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones destroyed.

It also confirmed that the US Navy’s main logistics hub in the region, located in Bahrain, had been targeted by Iran with drone and ballistic missile strikes.

Hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan have been damaged or destroyed by Iranian strikes during the conflict.

The report does not include those costs in its estimates, saying it is not yet clear if all the bases will be rebuilt, or who will foot the bill.

As at June 30, seven US service members had been killed in action and seven killed in non-hostile events during OEF combat operations, the report said.

An additional 417 service members were wounded in action, it added.

The US and Israel launched the war against Iran on Feb 28.

For decades, Western powers have accused the Islamic Republic of seeking nuclear weapons, a claim that Tehran categorically denies. AFP