World
Pentagon Report Details Extensive Damage and Costs from Iran Conflict in Middle East
A recent Pentagon watchdog report, covering February 28 to June 30, has documented significant damage to US facilities and equipment in the Middle East due to Iranian drone and missile attacks. Photographs released by CBS News on Tuesday, reportedly from active-duty service members, illustrate widespread destruction at US military positions.
Key findings from the report and accompanying images include extensive damage to buildings and vehicles across multiple US bases. A Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Force Base in Saudi Arabia sustained a direct hit, severing its tail from the fuselage. Other images from the Saudi base show hollowed-out buildings and barracks. At Camp Buehring in Kuwait, a major staging area for US ground troops, armored vehicles, and aircraft, significant destruction was also observed.
Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of military buildings and structures at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan. This led to the relocation of personnel, assets, and storage facilities by US Central Command. The report estimates equipment losses at up to $3.7 billion, including dozens of aircraft such as four F-15s, one F-35, seven KC-135s, and up to 30 MQ-9s.
The conflict has incurred costs exceeding $38 billion for the US Department of Defense, encompassing munitions, lost equipment, and operational expenses. During the specified period, $22 billion was spent on munitions alone, contributing to a total war cost of $33 billion. The report also highlights strategic inventory shortfalls and supply bottlenecks due to extensive munitions use.
Casualties include 11 US military personnel killed in action due to Iranian attacks. Six personnel died at Kuwait's Port Shuaiba on March 1, one in Saudi Arabia on the same day, three at Jordan's Muwaffaq al-Salti Air Base on July 17, and one at Iraq's Erbil Air Base on July 19. Additionally, seven personnel died in non-hostile events: six in a KC-135 jet crash in Iraq on March 12, and one in an MH-60S helicopter crash in the Arabian Sea on July 1. Through June 30, at least 417 US military personnel were wounded in Iranian attacks.