WASHINGTON, United States — The United States Department of Defense is facing a shortfall in ammunition and resupply bottlenecks as a result of its military conflict in Iran, according to a mandatory inspector general report presented to the United States Congress on September 14, 2026.
Okay News reports that the United States Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General confirmed in its report that Operation Epic Fury incurred an estimated cost of $33.4 billion (approximately ₦48.4 trillion) between February 28, 2026 and June 30, 2026.
The inspector general noted that the expenditure of weapons during Operation Epic Fury resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and exposed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply. The total expenditure included $22.3 billion (approximately ₦32.3 trillion) spent specifically on expended munitions.
The report detailed physical losses to the military fleet of the United States, including four F-15 aircraft destroyed, one F-35 aircraft damaged, seven KC-135 tanker aircraft damaged, and up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones destroyed.
United States President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on September 14, 2026, stating that the United States is producing “more Exquisite and Elite Weapons than at any time in our History”. Donald Trump had previously stated weeks prior that the United States maintained “virtually unlimited” ammunition.
Reporting from CNN indicated that shortages of long-range guided missiles and air-defense interceptors affected military strategies in the conflict, with the United States Armed Forces having “nearly exhausted 80%” of its stock of THAAD interceptors.
The United States Central Command stated that forces struck more than 1,000 targets during the initial 24 hours of the military operation against Iran.
The report documented that Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at bases of the United States located in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan. The inspector general did not include those infrastructure repair costs in the overall financial total.
