The U.S. military used an estimated $5.6 billion worth of munitions during the first two days of the war against Iran, according to The Washington Post, which cited three U.S. officials.
The cost estimate was reportedly shared with lawmakers on Monday, underscoring concerns about the speed with which the military is burning through its stockpiles. With one eye on supply levels, the White House is expected to request additional funding for the Iran war from Congress as soon as this week, seeking upwards of $50 billion for the U.S. military and possibly additional funds for Israel and other allies in the Middle East.
Pentagon officials say the marginal cost of its strikes is expected to decline as Iran’s defenses deteriorate and the U.S. changes its mix of munitions, moving from more expensive precision weapons such as interceptors and cruise missiles to cheaper laser-guided bombs. Mark Cancian, a military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Post that the cheaper munitions will help drive the cost of each strike against Iran down from millions of dollars to less than $100,000 in some cases.
The U.S. has struck more than 5,000 targets in Iran so far. Elaine McCusker, a Pentagon official during the first Trump administration, estimates that the U.S. had used more than $5 billion worth of interceptors by the end of the sixth day of the war, with a total cost of the military effort exceeding $11 billion.