Pentagon report says Iran war depleted US munitions, exposed industrial bottlenecks

September 15, 2026 at 10:51 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The Pentagon Inspector General reported that US munitions reserves face strategic shortfalls as a direct result of the Iran war. The report to Congress found Operation Epic Fury cost an estimated $33.4 billion, including $22.3 billion in munitions alone. The disclosure contradicts repeated denials by President Donald Trump and his cabinet.

Key Facts

Operation Epic Fury, conducted from February 28 to June 30, cost an estimated $33.4 billion, of which $22.3 billion was munitions.
The US military used more than half of its Patriot air-defense missiles and virtually all of its ATACMS missiles during the war.
US forces expended about 80 percent of the THAAD missile interceptor inventory.
The report documented the destruction of four F-15 fighter jets, damage to one F-35 and seven KC-135 tankers, and the downing of nearly 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones.
Iranian attacks damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures at US facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan.

Munitions Depletion

The Inspector General's report states that munitions expenditures during the Iran war led to strategic inventory shortfalls and exposed bottlenecks in the industrial base for resupply. CNN, Reuters, and AP reported that the military used more than half of its Patriot air-defense missiles and virtually all of its ATACMS missiles during the conflict. The government dismissed those reports as fake news, but the new report confirms serious shortages in long-range precision-guided missiles and air-defense interceptors. US forces consumed approximately 80 percent of the THAAD missile interceptor inventory, restricting military planning against Iran.

Equipment Losses

The report documented significant equipment losses for the US fleet during the operation. Four F-15 fighter jets were destroyed, one F-35 stealth fighter and seven KC-135 tanker aircraft were damaged, and nearly 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones were shot down. In the first 24 hours of the conflict, US Central Command struck more than 1,000 targets, but the military did not repeat a bombardment of that scale in subsequent months.

Regional Damage

Iranian attacks damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures at US facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan. Reconstruction costs for those damaged areas were not included in the main budget figures because officials are still assessing whether to rebuild and who will finance the operations. President Trump on Monday reiterated on Truth Social that US factories are producing 'more flawless and special weapons than at any time in our history,' rejecting concerns about depleted stockpiles.