The Iran War Has Burned $38B, and the Missiles Are Running Out
Running an open-ended conflict turns out to be shockingly bad for the national wallet and the missile stash. Who could have guessed?
The CBO just dropped the actual receipt for the war with Iran, and it came out to a cool $38 billion in barely five months. That covers strictly Pentagon operational costs, fuel, and replacing destroyed toys.
The equipment loss list reads like an expensive accident report: 11 crewed planes, 25 drones, and an entire THAAD radar went up in smoke. But cash is only part of the mess. The military is burning through missile defense interceptors so fast that stockpiles will take several years to recover. If China decides to take a shot at Taiwan anytime soon, the defensive cupboard is dangerously bare.
Meanwhile, the chaos has driven energy prices through the roof, tacking over two whole points onto inflation back home.
Spending tens of billions to drain critical national defense reserves while supercharging grocery bills is certainly a masterclass in strategy.
Source: CBO
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