Pentagon to spend $3.5 billion to re-stock as Israel operation costs mount

The Pentagon plans to spend more than $3.5 billion to replenish inventories in the wake of recurring Israel operations, underscoring the costs of maintaining a stepped-up presence in West Asia.

The funds, outlined in budget documents prepared through mid-May, are meant for both weapons restocking - such as for the missiles fired to repel Iranian attacks, including at least $1 billion for RTX missile interceptors - as well as for a range of mundane tasks including radar upkeep, refurbishing vessels and transporting munitions. Almost every paragraph outlining US-specific items to be bankrolled is tagged as an "emergency budget request."

Detailed in several documents dating back to September and submitted to congressional defense committees, the replenishment blueprint draws on the 2024 Israeli Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, which includes $14 billion in part to rebuild US inventory and pay for more Israeli missile interceptors. The documents cite US efforts to counter Iran's April 2024 attack that involved more than 110 medium-range ballistic missiles.