Washington: The US has spent approximately $25 billion on the war against Iran, according to a senior Pentagon official who testified before a House committee on Wednesday. The department's acting Chief Financial Officer Jules W. Hurst III highlighted that most of the cost stemmed from munitions spending. Hurst also mentioned that operations, maintenance costs, and equipment replacement are included in the total expenditure. He added that the agency will soon submit a formal supplemental budget request to Congress via the White House once "we have a full assessment of the cost of the conflict."

According to Anadolu Agency, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the requested $1.5 trillion for the fiscal year 2027 budget "reflects the urgency of the moment, addressing both the deferment of long-standing problems, as well as positioning our forces for both the current and the future fight we think." He criticized the previous administration for hollowing out the defense industrial base with "America last" policies and emphasized that the Trump administration was restoring it to a "wartime footing."

During the hearing, Hegseth strongly opposed labeling the Iran war as a "strategic blunder" or a "quagmire," asserting that such statements undermine the military mission and emphasize that the American public remains supportive of the operation. Addressing concerns over depleted munitions, Hegseth assured lawmakers that no shortfalls exist in the global supply. He said the $1.5 trillion budget would ensure US companies run "faster than ever before" to significantly increase the production of critical missiles.

Hegseth also compared Tehran's tactics to those of Pyongyang, arguing that Iran used conventional weapons as a shield to "blackmail" the region while pursuing nuclear capabilities. Responding to questions about Iran's alleged revenue from sanctions relief potentially being used to purchase Chinese missiles, Hegseth dismissed this claim, stating, "We're ensuring and they're not buying Chinese missiles."

Further addressing concerns about the Chinese threat in drone production, Hegseth expressed support for a ban on DJI drones due to national security threats and emphasized the centrality of drones to future warfare. He announced the upcoming formation of a sub-unified command for autonomous warfare and acknowledged that technological races, particularly in quantum computing, will determine future dominance in command and communications.

On the topic of Ukraine, Hegseth criticized the former Biden administration for providing "hundreds of billions of dollars of our weapons" without accountability, while noting his approval that Europe is now contributing to the cost of weapons supplied to Kyiv.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine informed the committee that rapid changes in the character of warfare, including advances in autonomy, undersea systems, space, cyber, and information operations, required higher capital investment. He explained that the budget was designed to anticipate where technology was heading. When questioned about the potential exposure of the Asia-Pacific region to China due to the deployment of three aircraft carriers in the Middle East, Caine acknowledged the inherent trade-offs but expressed confidence that US President Donald Trump had carefully weighed the associated risks. He emphasized that the national force is deployed based on the political and security situations deemed appropriate by the president, rather than strictly according to strategic frameworks.