WASHINGTON
—
The
Pentagon
plans
to
ask
lawmakers
for
some
$200
billion
in
supplemental
funds
to
pay
for
operations
in
Iran
and
refill
American
munition
stockpiles,
Defense
Secretary
Pete
Hegseth
said
today.
However
that
figure,
first
reported
by
The
Washington
Post,
“could
move,”
he
said.
“Obviously
it
takes
…
money
to
kill
bad
guys,
so
we’re
going
back
to
Congress
and
folks
there
to
ensure
that
we’re
properly
funded
for
what’s
been
done,
for
what
we
may
have
to
do
in
the
future,
[to]
ensure
that
our
ammunition
is
…
refilled,
and
not
just
refilled,
but
above
and
beyond,”
the
defense
secretary
told
reporters
in
a
briefing
this
morning.
Lawmakers
have
been
awaiting
a
supplemental
spending
request
designed
to
fund
Operation
Epic
Fury,
though
previous
reporting
suggested
the
DoD
would
request
around
$50
billion,
a
quarter
of
the
new
potential
ask.
It
is
not
clear
if
the
supplemental
funding
will
count
towards
the
$1.5
trillion
defense
spending
pledge
by
Trump
administration
for
fiscal
2027,
or
if
it
will
be
additive.
“Our
objectives
[are]
unchanged,
on
target
and
on
plan,”
Hegseth
said.
That
said,
Hegseth
did
not
disclose
just
how
much
of
that
possible
$200
billion
request
was
directly
tied
to
operations
inside
Iran
and
how
much
would
be
needed
to
more
generally
boost
US
defense
production.
In
his
remarks,
Hegseth
took
a
shot
at
the
Biden
administration
for
sending
weapons
to
Ukraine
for
its
defense
against
Russia
and
said
the
Trump
administration
believes
“these
munitions
are
better
spent
in
our
own
interests
at
this
point.”
“An
investment
like
this
is
meant
to
say,
‘Hey,
we’ll
replace
anything
that
was
spent,”
Hegseth
added.
“And
now
that
we’re
reviving
our
defense
industrial
base
and
rebuilding
the
arsenal
of
freedom
and
cutting
deals
…
[on]
long-lead
times
on
exquisite
munitions,
we’re
going
to
be
refilled
faster
than
anyone
imagined.”
Also
not
clear
is
the
true
cost
of
Operation
Epic
Fury
as
it
enters
week
four
this
weekend.
The
Pentagon
has
not
yet
released
a
comprehensive
cost
breakdown,
though
officials
have
confirmed
reports
that
the
department
spent
$5.6
billion
worth
of
munitions
in
the
first
few
days.
The
Center
for
Strategic
and
International
Studies
has
estimated
$16.5
billion
total
price
tag
at
the
day
12
mark
on
things
like
manpower
and
damage
to
bases.
The
expenditures
include
spent
munitions,
with
Hegseth
saying
today
that
the
US
has
now
struck
7,000
targets
across
Iran.
Chairman
of
the
Joint
Chiefs
of
Staff
Gen.
Dan
Caine
said
that
figure
includes
120
maritime
vessels
and
44
minelayers.
“We’re
flying
further
to
the
east
now
and
penetrating
deeper
into
Iranian
airspace
to
hunt
and
kill
one-way
attack
garrisons,
destroying
Iran’s
ability
to
project
power
outside
of
its
borders,”
the-four
star
general
said.