Iran war has cost $38 billion, depleted two-thirds of US missile interceptors, CBO says — SkimNews
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- Congressional Budget Office estimates the Iran conflict has cost about $38 billion through Aug. 1, with the bulk going to munitions, flying hours, fuel, and equipment losses.
- CBO found the campaign has consumed between one-half and two-thirds of the U.S. inventory of Patriot, THAAD, SM-3, and SM-6 missile-defense interceptors since June 2025, and rebuilding those stocks could take at least five years.
- Interceptor replacement costs account for $13.1 billion of the $21.7 billion CBO estimates the Pentagon needs to replenish expended munitions, with land-attack cruise missiles adding another $7.3 billion.
- Operation Epic Fury involved roughly 250 tactical aircraft, including about 90 from two carrier strike groups, and large expenditures of interceptors during the first weeks defending against Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.
- A Defense Department inspector general report separately put the operation's cost at $33.4 billion through June 29, while the administration requested $87.6 billion in supplemental funding in June, with $42.3 billion tied directly to the conflict.
- CBO warned the depleted interceptor stockpile poses a particular problem for a potential conflict with China, which maintains large numbers of ballistic and cruise missiles, and noted each additional month of fighting could cost $2-3 billion if intensity stays low.
- Pentagon officials did not respond to CBO's information requests, leaving analysts reliant on government databases and public reports — a detail that introduces significant uncertainty into the cost and inventory figures.
Why it matters: Up to two-thirds of the U.S. missile-defense interceptor stockpile is gone after a single campaign against Iran, and CBO says it would take at least five years to rebuild — a gap that directly weakens U.S. deterrence posture against China, the one adversary the CBO report explicitly names as a concern.
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