March 12, 2026 POLITICO – Defense & National Security
The U.S. Department of Defense spent approximately $11 billion during the first week of Operation Epic Fury—the large-scale air and naval campaign against Iran—according to the Pentagon’s acting comptroller.
Speaking at a defense policy summit in Washington on Thursday, Jules Hurst III described the figure as a “ballpark number” and emphasized that his office is finalizing a more detailed breakdown for an upcoming supplemental budget request. The Pentagon plans to submit the formal request to the White House and Congress “in the coming days.”
“We’re looking to make sure we make the right investments and capabilities,” Hurst said. “So it’s not just replacing things, but buying new things too.”
For context, $11 billion is roughly the cost of constructing a single Ford-class aircraft carrier—one of the most expensive warships ever built.
What the $11 Billion Covers (and What It Doesn’t)
Hurst provided only high-level categories, including:
- Munitions expenditures (precision-guided missiles, cruise missiles, JDAMs, etc.)
- Flight operations (fuel, maintenance, sortie generation for B-2, B-1, F-35, F-22, etc.)
- Naval task force sustainment (carrier strike groups, destroyers, submarines)
He declined to break down specifics, citing ongoing classification and the need for a comprehensive supplemental package.
Lawmakers Push Back: “Far Too Low”
Several Democratic lawmakers immediately questioned whether the $11 billion figure captures the full scope of costs. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee, argued that any accurate accounting must include:
- Months of pre-positioning, deployment, and prepositioning costs
- Restoration of depleted munitions stockpiles
- Refilling of magazines and forward-deployed inventories
- Long-term sustainment of forces in theater
- Personnel costs (overtime, hazard pay, family support)
“If they were to come back to us and say, ‘This is how much we have spent on this operation,’ it would have to include months of preparation and deployment, as well as munition stockpile restoration,” Coons said.
Multiple congressional sources told POLITICO they expect the first supplemental request to reach at least $50 billion, based on informal briefings from administration officials.
Independent Estimates Vary Widely
Outside analysts have produced their own projections for the opening phase of the conflict:
- The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated the cost of the first 100 hours of air and naval strikes at $3.7 billion.
- The conservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI) placed cumulative operational costs through day 12 between $11.2 billion and $14.5 billion.
These figures focus primarily on direct combat expenditures and do not include long-term readiness rebuilding or economic ripple effects (e.g., higher oil prices, supply-chain disruptions).
No End Date in Sight
President Donald Trump has repeatedly described the campaign as potentially lasting “four weeks or more,” while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has refused to commit to any timeline, stating only that “we will finish the job when the mission is accomplished.”
As Operation Epic Fury enters its third week (March 14–15, 2026), daily strike totals remain high, with CENTCOM reporting continued degradation of Iranian ballistic missile and drone infrastructure.
The Pentagon’s forthcoming supplemental request will be the first formal opportunity for Congress to debate funding levels, oversight mechanisms, and potential war powers implications since the conflict began on February 28, 2026.
The White House has not yet commented on the timing or size of the request.
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