A new report from the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense stands in stark contradiction to Donald Trump‘s repeated assurances that the United States faces no ammunition shortage. The report documents serious deficiencies in strategic stockpiles and significant difficulties in replenishing them, against the backdrop of the war with Iran. According to the BBC, the U.S. president has claimed that America’s ammunition reserves are “almost unlimited,” dismissing reports of shortages as “fake news.”
However, the Pentagon’s independent oversight body reports that U.S. armed forces spent more than $22 billion on munitions between February and June — a development that resulted in documented “strategic stockpile shortfalls.”
This report represents one of the rare independent assessments of the state of U.S. arsenals, as the relevant data typically remains classified and is not made public.
During the course of the war, U.S. forces have used large quantities of both long-range strike weapons and air and missile defense systems to intercept Iranian attacks.
An assessment by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in late July had already recorded a significant depletion in stockpiles of certain critical interceptor missiles, including Patriot missiles and THAAD systems. In some cases, according to the analysis, available stockpiles had been reduced by more than 50%.
The new report does not reveal how many of these specific weapons remain in U.S. arsenals, but it does confirm the existence of shortfalls and points to “bottlenecks in the industrial base” that are hampering the rapid replenishment of munitions.
The Department of Defense is now working to accelerate both procurement processes and production timelines in order to close the gaps and be in a position to respond quickly to any new crisis.
Trump’s response and Hegseth’s denials
Donald Trump and members of his administration have repeatedly dismissed reports suggesting that U.S. stockpiles are depleted or dangerously reduced. On August 4, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described such reports as “false.”
A few weeks later, on September 3, Trump claimed via Truth Social that the United States possesses “almost unlimited” quantities of ammunition and that the country continues to build up stockpiles and prepare “for every contingency.”
The picture painted by the Inspector General’s report is, however, considerably more alarming.
US: The war’s total cost reaches $33.4 billion
According to the report’s findings, losses in military equipment have reached $3.7 billion, while a further $7.4 billion relates to other war-related expenditures. In total, the United States spent $33.4 billion on the war between February 28 and June 30.
Among the losses are four F-15E fighter jets, one advanced F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and 30 MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicles, which were destroyed, according to the report, under “various circumstances.”
When U.S. and Israeli strikes began, Trump repeatedly predicted that the conflict would be over within a matter of weeks.
More recently, however, he has implied that the war could continue until “shortly after” the U.S. midterm elections in November.
Meanwhile, polls show that the conflict remains deeply unpopular among the American public.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey published in early September found that only 23% of Americans believe the United States is now in a stronger position against Iran compared to before hostilities began. Even among Republicans, that figure stands at approximately 50%.
The Inspector General’s report thus intensifies the debate surrounding the true cost of the war — not only in financial terms, but also with regard to U.S. military readiness — at a time when the White House continues to insist that American stockpiles remain adequate.
