The Washington Post, citing three U.S. officials, reported that the U.S. War Department spent munitions worth approximately $5.6 billion during the first two days of the military operation against Iran. According to the officials, Congress was briefed on this estimate on Monday, raising new questions among some lawmakers about the speed at which U.S. forces are depleting their stockpiles of advanced munitions. Some members of Congress fear that the military campaign in Iran could lead to a rapid depletion of precision-guided munitions, which could affect the readiness of the U.S. military, the newspaper reported. In this context, officials stated that the Trump administration is expected to send a request for additional defense funding to Congress this week, which could amount to tens of billions of dollars to support the continuation of military operations. The request is likely to face opposition from a number of Democrats, especially after their previous attempts to impose restrictions on the administration to prevent the expansion of military operations in Iran. In response to questions about the status of weapon stockpiles, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated that the War Department has everything it needs to carry out any mission the president decides on at any time. In a related context, Defense Secretary Pat Haysith and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Cain stated last week that the campaign is gradually shifting away from its heavy reliance on precision-guided munitions towards a greater use of laser-guided bombs, which are more readily available, after U.S. and Israeli forces strengthened their air superiority over Iran. As consumption increases, officials also indicated that the U.S. military has begun to redistribute defense assets from other regions, including the Indo-Pacific region. According to sources, components of the THAD system are being moved from South Korea to the Middle East, and Patriot interceptor missile stocks are being drawn from the Indo-Pacific region and other areas to bolster defense against Iranian drone and ballistic missile attacks. One official stated that these steps are precautionary measures in anticipation of a possible escalation of the Iranian response, despite the slowdown in attacks after more than a week of fighting.
