US Faces Ammunition Shortfall After Iran War, Pentagon Watchdog Says

The United States is facing shortages of ammunition after its military campaign against Iran exposed gaps in strategic weapons stocks and bottlenecks in the defence industry, according to a report released by the Pentagon’s inspector general.

The report, issued Monday in response to a mandatory request from Congress, said Operation Epic Fury had an estimated cost of $33.4 billion between February 28 and June 30. About $22.3 billion of that amount was attributed to munitions that had been used during the operation.

“The munitions expenditure on OEF has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply,” the report said.

Operation Epic Fury is the US designation for its military campaign with Israel aimed at reducing Iran’s ability to project military power, according to US Central Command.

The Pentagon is responding to the shortages by seeking to speed up procurement and production, while building stocks of critical materials, components and selected weapons, the inspector general said. However, the report warned that increasing manufacturing capacity would require significant time.

The findings could raise concerns among US partners that depend on American weapons for defence. Ukraine relies on US-made Patriot air defence systems and has sought additional interceptor missiles in its war against Russia. Taiwan also depends on US arms agreements as it seeks to deter China, which claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island.

The report contrasts with repeated assurances from President Donald Trump that American weapons supplies remain strong. Trump recently said the US had “virtually unlimited” ammunition. On Monday, he wrote on Truth Social that the country was producing “more Exquisite and Elite Weapons than at any time in our History.”

Earlier reports had indicated that shortages of long-range guided missiles and air defence interceptors were influencing US military planning during the conflict. The US military had reportedly used a substantial portion of its THAAD interceptor stock.

CENTCOM said the United States struck more than 1,000 targets during the first 24 hours of the war, although attacks on that scale have not continued in recent months.

The inspector general’s report also detailed losses and damage suffered by US forces. Four F-15 fighter jets were destroyed, one F-35 was damaged and seven KC-135 tanker aircraft were damaged. Up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones were also destroyed.

Iranian drone and ballistic missile attacks targeted the US Navy’s main regional logistics hub in Bahrain. Hundreds of buildings and other structures at American bases across Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan were damaged or destroyed.

The report did not include rebuilding costs because it remains unclear whether all damaged facilities will be reconstructed or who would pay for them.

By June 30, seven US service members had been killed in action and another seven had died in non-hostile incidents. A further 417 personnel were wounded during combat operations.

The United States and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28. Western governments have for decades accused Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons, while Iran has repeatedly denied pursuing such a programme.