Posted on 09/15/2026 11:54:53 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
A nonpartisan congressional watchdog estimates war with Iran is costing up to $3 billion a month
WASHINGTON—The Pentagon spent some $38 billion in its first few months of the war with Iran and will need at least five years to replace the missile interceptors it expended trying to defend U.S. troops and bases, according to a nonpartisan congressional watchdog.
The Congressional Budget Office also estimates that the war is likely to cost an additional $2 billion to $3 billion a month.
The assessment comes as President Trump is trying to determine next steps in the war. Iran hasn’t agreed to his demands to relinquish its nuclear program, and Trump has pivoted to economic pressure.
This is a developing story.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
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The headline refers to a new assessment by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) concerning the ongoing U.S.-Iran war.
Key points
The $38 billion is primarily a measure of what has already been spent. The five-year replacement estimate highlights a military-readiness problem: the U.S. can spend billions defending itself during a high-intensity missile war, but its industrial base may not be capable of rapidly replacing the defensive weapons consumed.
In other words, the U.S. can potentially afford the immediate expenditure, but it cannot necessarily replenish the weapons at the same speed at which a major conflict consumes them.
The CBO also indicates that the financial burden would continue growing substantially if the war lasts. At $2–3 billion per month, another year of fighting at that rate would add roughly $24–36 billion, before accounting for changes in the intensity of operations.
This is a developing story, and the CBO numbers could change as the conflict continues.
When you do not achieve the goal it’s all a waste.
People pretending to make serious predictions while understanding nothing.
A(n anonymous) non-partisan (honest, I swear) congressional watchdog.
Nothing to see here.
What a joke-- we spend trillions on defense, but not an extra penny on the defense industrial base or shipbuilding.
30+ years of being governed by corrupt fools.
And you believe it.
You're not allowed to call it that.
Groupthink requires that you call it the "MIC", and that you hate it with every fiber of your being.
Patriot missiles are 1980s technology. We’re using up old inventory in Iran.
By now we should be able to do better for a lot less.
Predictions of the future aside, we know that tens of billions have been spent in the past six and a half months with no definitive conclusion.
Yeah, I know who the CBO is. But if you believe the CBO, I’m sorry.
The CBO said Obamacare would pay for itself, with just one obvious example.
In fact, just to be clear, the CBO has said EVERY new Democrat handout for the last 50 years was budget neutral and the CBO has also said that every Republican tax cut for the past 50 years would DECREASE government revenue. Every one was a lie, and every one was known to be a lie when they told the lie.
But believe this one, cause, ya know.
“By now we should be able to do better for a lot less.”
Were those missiles we’ve fired ineffectual because they were “old”?
And what cheaper, more effective replacements are in production?
By what evidence do you claim they were ineffectual?
You’re not wrong. But if Kammie were in office we’d have spent the same amount on Learing Centers over the same period of time.
So have some perspective.
The CBO director is a Republican appointed by President Trump in 2019.
If you don’t believe the CBOs numbers, feel free to cite other predictions.
If we surrender to Islam it would cost us less.
That's a matter of degree with regard to countermeasures depending upon the opponent. They are surely mostly effective against Iranian systems but the hit rate hasn't been great.
Because the United States has infinite resources and we can engage in as many forever wars as we like and come out victorious!
Yay!
I was responding to the following post:
“Patriot missiles are 1980s technology. We’re using up old inventory in Iran.
“By now we should be able to do better for a lot less.”
My reading of that is that exhausting that ordinance is no big deal since better, cheaper weapons are coming online to replace them.
We could ask the French to create a surrender plan for us.
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