The losses of military equipment contribute to inflating the bill for Washington. This does not seem to deter Donald Trump, who plans to ask Congress to approve a 40% increase in the US defense budget in 2027.
The cost of the war waged against Iran continues to rise for the United States. It is now estimated between 22.3 and 31 billion dollars (19.3 billion euros and 26.8 billion euros), according to a Financial Times estimate provided by Elaine McCusker, former Pentagon budget official turned researcher at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). This amounts to over half a billion dollars every day. After the first six days of combat, the Pentagon reported a cost of 11.3 billion dollars.
Specifically, combat material losses represent approximately 10% of the total cost (between 2.1 and 3.6 billion dollars) considered by Elaine McCusker. The US military suffered significant material losses over the weekend during an operation on Iranian territory to rescue an ejected aviator, according to Washington.
In recent weeks, other aircraft have been lost, including a very strategic Boeing E-3 “Awacs”, specialized in detection and command missions, with a unit price of approximately 700 million dollars. In her highest estimation, Elaine McCusker includes the cost of repairing the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, which suffered a fire at sea, and the repair of a very expensive missile defense system damaged at a base in Qatar.
Concerns about stocks: The US military has a very intensive use of missiles, contributing to increasing costs and damages. By the end of March, the US military had fired over 850 Tomahawk missiles, each priced at $3.6 million, according to the CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies), an American research center. This is more than in any recent military intervention. For comparison, 802 Tomahawks were fired during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, which cost the US over 3 trillion dollars.
Beyond the cost, some officials are concerned about dwindling weapon reserves.
Trump to request a colossal budget for 2027: Logically, the bill will be presented to American taxpayers, the majority of whom oppose this war (60% disapprove according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll). The White House unveiled its budget proposal for 2027, demanding a 42% increase in defense spending in one year, reaching a colossal $1.5 trillion next year, according to executive documents. The White House indicated that this aligns with President Trump’s “peace through strength” program.
If the Parliament, currently narrowly controlled by the President’s Republican party, approves the proposal, it would be a record in the recent history of the world’s leading power. The increase would be precisely $445 billion compared to the defense budget set for 2026. To finance it, a 10% cut is planned in non-military federal spending, with drastic cuts expected in some social, educational, and healthcare spending. For example, the main public medical research agency would see its budget reduced by $5 billion.
