The Pentagon has told Congress that it needs $80 billion to pay for the Iran war and other non-war-related costs, The Wall Street Journal has reported.
The Pentagon had previously claimed that the war cost $29 billion as of mid-May, a number that doesn’t hold up to scrutiny, as an analysis from Stephen Semler of the Security Policy Reform Institute found that the war had cost about $72 billion in just the first 60 days, an estimate that doesn’t factor in indirect costs.
The costs have continued to add up despite the ceasefire, and the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, as the US is maintaining its military posture in the Middle East, which includes major naval armadas that were enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports.
The breakdown of what exactly the $80 billion will cover is unclear, but much of it is expected to go toward munitions procurement, as the US used an enormous number of missiles and air-defense interceptors in the war.
The Journal report said that Pentagon leaders have said they will run out of money this summer if Congress doesn’t pass a new wartime spending bill, and would have to cut training exercises due to the war with Iran. The White House is expected to ask Congress for $80 billion, plus additional funds for other non-military spending, in the coming days.
The Pentagon is seeking $80 billion on top of its more than $1 trillion annual budget, as the Trump administration has pushed for record-breaking military spending. In 2027, the US military budget will increase by nearly 50% to $1.5 trillion if President Trump’s plan, which involves combining the annual National Defense Authorization Act with a supplemental spending bill for several hundred billion dollars, is passed by Congress.
