The United States Department of Defense is reportedly grappling with mounting financial pressure as ongoing military operations linked to Iran continue to stretch Pentagon resources, forcing some branches of the military to scale back training and maintenance activities.
Senior military officials have now appealed to Congress for additional funding, warning that existing budgets did not account for the prolonged conflict.
Speaking before the House Armed Services Committee earlier this month, Adm. Daryl Caudle disclosed that the Navy’s 2026 budget plans did not include funding for “Operation Epic Fury,” adding that the service is already feeling the effects on day-to-day operations.
“That includes having to limit training exercises, flight training hours and training for new recruits,” he told lawmakers.
Caudle also warned that recruitment efforts could suffer if extra funding is not approved.
“My record recruiting is going to be thwarted without additional funding to [move] those individuals from boot camp and to pay enlistment and reenlistment bonuses,” he said.
Reports also indicate that the Army’s III Armored Corps, headquartered in Texas and responsible for tens of thousands of troops and military equipment, experienced a significant reduction in its training budget in April.
In a related development, the Army’s medical training division reportedly cancelled several courses and withdrew funding support for others as part of cost-cutting measures.
Although the Pentagon declined to officially comment, analysts say the military is now being forced to make difficult spending decisions because funds allocated for routine operations are being redirected toward conflict-related expenses.
Defense budget expert Todd Harrison explained that operations and maintenance funds are used for a wide range of military activities, including deployments, training, fuel, travel, repairs and some civilian staff salaries.
According to him, “it’s completely plausible that they are having to make some tradeoffs and do things like cancel unessential travel or cancel training.”
Earlier discussions within President Donald Trump’s administration reportedly considered requesting as much as $200 billion in supplemental military funding for the Iran conflict, although officials later suggested the amount was exaggerated.
The Pentagon’s acting comptroller, Jules “Jay” Hurst III, recently informed lawmakers that the conflict had already cost around $29 billion, though he admitted the estimate excluded infrastructure rebuilding costs. Other reports have placed the likely total closer to between $40 billion and $50 billion.
Military officials also warned that the continued conflict could worsen long-term readiness problems due to growing strain on equipment and weapons stockpiles.
Air Force chief Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach reportedly told senators that the Iran crisis has intensified existing operational challenges across the service.
Lawmakers have since urged Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to speed up requests for emergency funding support.
California Republican congressman Ken Calvert said, “We need to repay those O&M [operations and maintenance] accounts that are going to be used, I suspect, in order to pay for this ongoing operation.”
Analysts believe the financial impact of the conflict could continue long after fighting subsides, especially as the military works to repair damaged equipment and replenish missile inventories depleted during the operations.
