Pentagon acknowledges strategic ammunition shortage following war with Iran

Pentagon officials have officially acknowledged that in the first months of the war the United States expended such a quantity of munitions that it led to a strategic shortage of stockpiles and exposed vulnerabilities in the country’s industrial base.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing Bloomberg.

The acknowledgment is contained in a Pentagon inspector general report — a document covering U.S. military operations in the war with Iran as of June 30. Bloomberg assessed the report as official confirmation of a problem that the Trump administration had repeatedly downplayed.

In interviews with the Defense Department’s independent oversight body, procurement officials acknowledged a shortage of ammunition stockpiles. The report states:

“(They — ed.) are working to optimize procurement processes and production timelines, as well as to build up stockpiles of critical materials, components, and certain types of munitions for rapid response in the event of unforeseen circumstances.”

This contradicts the position of President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly claimed that the United States allegedly possesses enormous quantities of munitions stockpiles — far more than America could ever use in a war.

According to the inspector general’s report, by the end of June approximately €19.3 billion worth of munitions had been expended during the war, with total costs over that period amounting to more than approximately €28.5 billion.

The report also documents extensive damage to the American military presence in the region. U.S. Central Command told the inspector that Iranian forces had damaged or destroyed “hundreds” of buildings and structures at American bases. U.S. diplomatic missions in four countries sustained damage from strikes.

Personnel casualties as of the end of July stood at 11 service members killed in combat. Seven more died in non-combat circumstances during operations under Operation Epic Fury. By the end of June, more than 400 service members had been wounded in combat.

In July, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz denied reports of military arsenal depletion amid the conflict with Iran, stating that U.S. forces had all the resources necessary to conduct the military campaign effectively. According to the WSJ, in August the Pentagon asked American industry to rapidly scale up production and delivery of weapons, including munitions that are in acute short supply due to the war with Iran.