Report: $5.6 Billion in U.S. Ammunition in Two Days of War with Iran

SadaNews - The Washington Post reported, citing three U.S. officials, that the U.S. Department of Defense spent approximately $5.6 billion on ammunition during the first two days of military operations against Iran.

According to the officials, Congress was briefed on this estimate on Monday, raising new questions among some legislators about the speed at which U.S. forces are consuming their stockpile of advanced ammunition.

Some members of Congress fear that the military campaign in Iran could lead to a rapid depletion of precision ammunition stocks, potentially affecting the readiness of the U.S. military, according to the newspaper.

In this context, officials said the Trump administration is expected to send a request for additional defense funding to Congress soon, potentially amounting to tens of billions of dollars to support the continuation of military operations.

The request is likely to face opposition from several Democrats, especially after their previous attempts to impose restrictions on the administration to prevent the expansion of military operations in Iran failed.

In response to questions about the status of weapon stockpiles, Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, stated that the Department of Defense has everything it needs to carry out any mission the president decides at any time.

In a related context, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kaine said last week that the campaign is gradually shifting away from heavy reliance on precision munitions, toward greater use of laser-guided bombs that are available in larger quantities, after U.S. and Israeli forces strengthened their air superiority over Iran.

With increasing consumption, officials noted that the U.S. military has also begun reallocating defensive assets from other regions, including the Indo-Pacific region.

According to sources, parts of the THAAD system are being transferred from South Korea to the Middle East, and there is a drawdown from Patriot missile stockpiles in the Indo-Pacific and other areas to enhance defense against Iranian drone and ballistic missile attacks.

One official stated that these measures are being taken as a precaution against the possibility of an escalation in Iranian retaliation, despite the decline in the frequency of attacks after more than a week since the fighting began.