The US military is... running out of money.

The Pentagon appears to be under increasing financial pressure, even struggling to maintain training and maintenance operations while the conflict with Iran continues.

U.S. soldiers move in formation during the Sword 26 exercise in Bemowo Piskie, Poland, on May 11. Photo: Reuters .

According to CNN , U.S. military leaders are now urging Congress to approve additional funding. Admiral Daryl Caudle, the top commander of the U.S. Navy, told members of the House Armed Services Committee earlier this month that the force's 2026 budget "does not account for a campaign in Iran."

Cutting back operations due to... lack of funds?

Admiral Caudle stated that the U.S. Navy is facing an impact on “routine operations” due to tight budgets. Specifically, the U.S. Navy is having to limit exercises, reduce flight training hours, and cut back on training for new recruits.

“Recruitment will be hampered if there isn’t additional funding to distribute these individuals to units after they leave training centers. We are also struggling to pay enlistment and re-enlistment bonuses,” Caudle explained to members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The U.S. Army's III Corps currently manages approximately 70,000 soldiers and hundreds of tanks. According to internal information accessed by CNN , the unit's training budget has been cut by nearly $292 million since the end of April.

The U.S. Army Medical School has also canceled dozens of courses and halted funding for numerous programs. The Pentagon has declined to comment on this information.

Two soldiers from the III Corps Armored Command participate in obstacle course training at Fort Cavazos, Texas, USA. Photo: U.S. Army.

Typically, the U.S. military must use its budget strictly according to its allocated spending categories, unless Congress authorizes the reallocation of funds. Training funding is usually drawn from the "operations and maintenance" budget.

Todd Harrison, a defense budget expert at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), said that the “operations and maintenance” account is used for a variety of purposes, from training and deploying forces to repairing equipment and paying the salaries of civilian employees working in military environments.

According to Harrison, information on the Pentagon's budget spending is difficult to access from the outside, but based on current information, "it is entirely possible that the agency is being forced to make trade-offs, implementing austerity measures such as canceling non-essential business trips or cutting training activities."

A familiar period of financial hardship.

In the early stages of the Iran campaign, Trump administration officials discussed the possibility of requesting additional military funding, with some suggesting around $200 billion . However, the Trump administration later deemed this amount too high; nevertheless, no specific proposal for additional funding has been made.

Furthermore, the US Congress has shown no signs of passing additional budget funds anytime soon.

The Pentagon's most recent estimate of the cost of the Iran war is approximately $29 billion . This figure was given by Budget Controller Jules Hurst III during a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense on May 12.

U.S. soldiers load a simulated wounded soldier onto a military ambulance during the Sword 26 exercise in Bemowo Piskie, Poland, on May 11. Photo: Reuters .

However, Jules Hurst III acknowledged that this figure was based only on the cost of ammunition and aircraft destroyed in the operation, and did not include the cost of rebuilding and repairing US military bases in the Middle East that suffered Iranian attacks.

Sources told CNN in late April that the actual cost of the Iran war could reach $40-50 billion .

A defense official familiar with budget matters told CNN that the U.S. military often faces financial difficulties at the end of the federal fiscal year, which ends in September. This often leads them to request Congress's permission for the military to flexibly reallocate funds between different spending categories, to secure money for priorities when funds are running low.

However, in 2026, financial problems emerged much earlier due to a sharp increase in costs related to the military campaign conducted by the US this year.

Some of the problems facing the various branches of the military reflect growing concerns about the budget within the U.S. military.

General Kenneth Wilsbach, commander of the U.S. Air Force, testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that the Iran conflict exacerbates the problem, affecting combat readiness.

During a hearing earlier this month, members of Congress responsible for budget matters repeatedly urged U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth to expedite the submission of a request for additional military funding.

Republican Congressman Ken Calvert, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense, argues that the "hidden costs" of the Iran conflict will gradually become apparent over time. The wear and tear on equipment will increase, leading to greater maintenance and repair requirements.

He argued that the additional funding would also help the Pentagon accelerate the replenishment of its dwindling stockpiles of anti-aircraft and offensive missiles.

Source: https://znews.vn/quan-doi-my-chay-tui-post1654937.html