US Weapons Stockpile Is Shrinking, Watchdog Finds

The Pentagon's watchdog has found that the Iran war is eating into America's weapons stockpiles. In its first report on the conflict, released Monday, the Defense Department inspector general says US munitions have been drawn down enough to create a shortfall and bottlenecks in supply chains, even as the Pentagon scrambles to speed up procurement and build reserves. That assessment contrasts with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's public denials and President Trump's insistence that the US has "virtually unlimited" ammunition and is producing more "Exquisite and Elite Weapons" than ever, NBC News reports. The Pentagon report included the first public look at the damage to American aircraft, bases and diplomatic outposts in the Middle East, per the AP.

Covering late February through June, the report pegs the war's cost to the Pentagon at about $33.4 billion, including more than $22 billion in expended munitions and heavy losses of aircraft and drones. It confirms that Iran targeted the Navy's logistics hub in Bahrain and details over $200 million in damage to State Department facilities in four countries, plus the displacement of more than 20,000 US personnel. The Pentagon declined to comment on the report, which omits a likely US strike on an Iranian school that remains under internal review.