Amid intensified war in the Middle East, a report on Tuesday claimed that the Pentagon spent $5.6 billion worth of munitions within the first 48 hours of its military assault on Iran. According to three US officials, the figure highlights the growing concern among some on Capitol Hill about how rapidly US forces are depleting Americaโs advanced weaponry reserves.
Another report by Washington Post said the estimate, presented to Congress on Monday, casts doubt on the Trump administrationโs dismissive stance towards lawmakersโ worries that the Iran operation is significantly diminishing US military readiness.
Trump expected to send Congress a supplemental defense budget request
Apart from this, the Trump administration is also expected to send Congress a supplemental defense budget request as soon as this week to sustain its campaign and the budget is expected to face opposition from several Democrats, who attempted to restrain the administration from further military action in Iran.
Sean Parnell, Pentagonโs chief spokesman, said the Defense Department has โeverything it needs to execute any mission at the time and place of the Presidentโs choosing and on any timeline.”
Earlier, Donald Trump had said that the operation could take more than a month, on Monday, he told CBS News that the war on Iran is โvery complete, pretty much over”.
$5.6 billion figure highlights how costly the strikes were
The report also said that the $5.6 billion figure highlights how costly the strikes were before that transition began. The Washington Post earlier also reported that the military has fired hundreds of precision weapons since the start of hostilities on February 28, including advanced air defense interceptors and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
In the meantime, the war experts are surprised at the sophistication of Iranโs retaliatory strikes, including its ability to target and at times overwhelm key parts of US and Israeli air defense systems.
Reports also suggested that Russia is supplying Iran with intelligence to enhance the accuracy of its strikes against American forces, a move that could compensate for the damage the Iranian military has suffered in the war.
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