Iran war exposed 'strategic' US munitions shortfalls: Pentagon watchdog

The first report by the Pentagon’s inspector general on the impact of the US war against Iran found that munitions expended during the four-month campaign caused "strategic inventory shortfalls" and exposed bottlenecks in the US defence industrial base's ability to resupply weapons stocks. The report, covering April 1 to June 30 and prepared by the Lead Inspector General framework overseeing Operation Epic Fury (OEF), cited the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment as saying that munitions expenditure "has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply." To address the gap, the report said the Pentagon "is working to streamline procurement processes and production lead times and to stockpile critical materials, components and selected munitions to respond rapidly to a contingency." The report said the defence industrial base "requires 'significant lead time' to expand production capacities," with the most persistent bottlenecks in the production of solid rocket motors, the availability of high-grade explosives and propellants, and the recruitment of skilled manufacturing labour. US President Donald Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth have repeatedly denied media reports over depleted munitions stockpiles that have limited military options against Iran. Read: US has used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war, sources say Trump said last month that the US has “massive amounts” of ammunition and that the country's defence companies were building the "largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history." The Pentagon estimated the total cost of the Iran war at $33.4 billion as of June 29, including $22.3 billion for expended munitions and $3.7 billion in equipment losses based on replacement cost, according to the report. The estimate does not include infrastructure repair costs. Hegseth told Congress on July 21 that without supplemental funding, the Pentagon "could face critical shortfalls" that would threaten its ability to pay service members, replenish some of the equipment and munitions and sustain its global operations. The White House on June 24 submitted an $87.6 billion emergency supplemental funding request to Congress, including $67.1 billion for the Pentagon, with $21 billion earmarked specifically for munitions. Seven US service members were killed in action during the US-Israeli war against Iran, and seven died in non-hostile incidents between Feb. 28 and June 30, with 417 wounded, according to the report. Four more were killed in action in July, it added.