Washington, Sept. 15 (SANA) A Pentagon report has warned that U.S. military operations in the Middle East have strained weapons supplies, damaged bases and aircraft, and disrupted logistics networks, while creating shortages of advanced munitions.
The report by the U.S. Department of War inspector general, cited by The Associated Press, said the conflict had caused “strategic shortages in stockpiles” and placed pressure on the defense industry’s ability to replenish ammunition, particularly advanced missiles and defensive interceptors.
U.S. defense companies could need about three years to restore supplies of those weapons to pre-conflict levels, the report said, although the Pentagon maintains that U.S. forces currently have enough equipment and ammunition for potential conflicts.
Bases damaged, supply routes disrupted
The report said U.S. military facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan sustained damage to buildings and infrastructure during the conflict.
It added that Bahrain’s U.S. naval base, a major regional logistics hub, came under drone and ballistic missile attacks, prompting U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) to reroute supplies through alternative locations, including Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
The changes extended supply cycles to between 14 and 18 days, according to the report.
Aircraft losses and casualties
The report said dozens of U.S. aircraft were damaged or destroyed, including as many as 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones, each valued at about $30 million, along with seven KC-130 aircraft used for aerial refueling.
It also recorded the deaths of 11 U.S. military personnel in incidents classified as combat operations, while six others were killed in the collision of two KC-135 aircraft in Iraq in an incident classified as non-hostile.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth previously estimated the cost of the war at $37.5 billion through late July, while damage to U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE was estimated at about $184 million.
The State Department also spent more than $11 million evacuating around 9,000 U.S. citizens from countries in the Middle East and Europe, while emergency and non-emergency U.S. military sales exceeded $44 billion.
R.A/ABD
