Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has stressed the need for emergency funding to prevent American munitions stockpiles from running out. 

As wars go, America’s recent conflict with Iran was far from the deadliest or most destructive it has fought in its modern history. Even so, the price has been heavy. Thirteen US servicemembers have been killed in the war, including seven by enemy action and six more in an aerial mishap involving a refueling tanker.

However, the main costs of the Iran war have been financial, with some estimates placing the total at more than $132 billion to date. That includes both direct military expenditures, which are nearly $30 billion, and the rest in inflated fuel prices and higher borrowing costs. The numbers could soon be even greater, as Pentagon officials are now asking lawmakers for a supplemental funding package of roughly $80 billion to cover the costs of resupply and base repairs in the Middle East.

Military officials have warned that without the supplemental funding, the US armed forces could run out of money for operations this summer, according to The Wall Street Journal. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has yet to actually make a formal request to Congress, but Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has talked to lawmakers behind closed doors about the dire need for the additional money.

The request could come even as some lawmakers remain skeptical of whether President Donald Trump’s recent deal with Iran will truly bring an end to the war, which began on February 28. The goal of the campaign, codenamed Operation Epic Fury, was to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons and bring regime change. However, apart from new leaders backing the same agenda, little has changed in Tehran, and critics have warned that the damage to Iran’s nuclear program is likely superficial and can quickly be repaired. To make matters worse, the war has left US stockpiles of air defense missiles significantly depleted, and it could take years for stockpiles to be replenished to pre-war levels.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) will have his work cut out for him to get the votes for an emergency $80 billion funding package. However, he argued that there may not be an alternative option.

“We need to make sure we’re doing everything we can to replenish, resupply a lot [of] our munitions that have been depleted—not only just with what’s happening with Iran, but prior to that,” Thune told the Associated Press.

Hegseth has already faced significant opposition to the war and its costs during his visits to Capitol Hill.

“You’re spending families’ hard-earned tax dollars on a war that many strongly oppose,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) told Hegseth during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing in May.

Lawmakers also expect the costs to rise above the $80 billion now requested.

The first week of the war, when the United States first launched the air campaign against targets in Iran, cost US taxpayers around $11.3 billion. As a fragile ceasefire holds, the US has been able to use fewer missiles to protect its warships, land-based bases in the Middle East, and other facilities. Still, if fighting does resume and the US resumes bombing Iran as Trump has threatened to do, the costs could quickly rise once again.

How Much Would a Non-Nuclear Iran Cost?

Trump and his allies continue to maintain that the war was necessary to ensure that Iran did not obtain a nuclear weapon. Vice President JD Vance said this week that Tehran has agreed to nuclear inspections, which could be similar to the terms imposed under the previous nuclear deal that was put in place during the Obama administration. (The memorandum of understanding does not contain this provision, but it is possible Vance was talking about a different agreement.)

The Islamic Republic is currently considered a “nuclear threshold” state, meaning it has the advanced infrastructure, materials, and technology knowledge to rapidly produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb. Iran has stated that it has no intention of building a nuclear weapon, citing previous religious rulings (fatwas) made by former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war. However, Tehran has also denied that it has agreed to nuclear inspections.

That fact further puts into question what the US has achieved in the war—except to see that $80 billion doesn’t deliver regime change and that Iran can close the Strait of Hormuz at will.

The $80 Billion Request Comes on Top of Next Year’s $1.5 Trillion

In March, Trump proposed increasing the Department of Defense’s fiscal year 2027 (FY27) budget by more than 50 percent to a gargantuan $1.5 trillion, a 50 percent increase from the FY26 budget of roughly $1 trillion—already the largest on record.

It should be noted that the United States spent approximately $300 billion to $330 billion during World War II, with defense spending comprising a staggering 40 percent of the United States’ total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In 2026 dollars, that would translate to around $4 to $6 trillion. Still, that was for the entirety of the US involvement in the war, from December 1941 through September 1945. During that time, the United States built dozens of aircraft carriers, multiple battleships (which were laid down before the US entered the war), thousands of tanks, and aircraft.

The $1.5 trillion is meant to fund some ambitious programs, notably the new Trump-class guided-missile battleships that would be the center of the new Golden Fleet, as well as the Golden Dome advanced missile-defense system.

On paper, the United States is investing in a strong military, but critics have warned that battleships are the wrong naval platform, as smaller unmanned drones are likely the future. The proposed technology for the nuclear-powered battleships, notably its hypersonic missiles and directed energy weapons, is far from mature and could take years, if not decades, to fully develop. Moreover, the Golden Dome system may be even more costly than what the Pentagon budget can afford, and might not be as capable as its supporters claim.

In other words, hundreds of billions of dollars could be going towards unproven platforms, with another $80 billion needed to replenish depleted stockpiles of US military ordnance. The issue is not really the money itself, but rather how little Washington has to show for it.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

The post Pentagon to Congress: Spot Us Another $80 Billion, Please appeared first on The National Interest.

Source link