The writer is chair in defence and strategy at the Brookings Institution and the author of ‘To Dare Mighty Things: US Defense Strategy Since the Revolution’
The Pentagon has stated that the first two days of the current war against Iran cost the US about $5.6bn in munitions alone, and the first week about twice that in total costs. Considering the mix of offensive and defensive weapons fired against thousands of targets — perhaps as many as 15,000 to 20,000 already — this is a plausible pace of expenditure. Advanced defensive interceptors like the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) and long-range attack weapons like Tomahawk can cost several million dollars apiece. That is a lot, but it is a far cry from the amount the White House is now seeking from Congress.
The Trump administration plans to ask Congress for $200bn to fund the ongoing Iran war. This would be a gross overestimate of the costs of the war to date and at any time in coming weeks. Worse, if approved, it could be interpreted as a blessing by Congress for a major escalation — since nothing about the current operation implies such a price tag over the weeks to come.