Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon is asking for a record $1.5 trillion for the next U.S. defense budget.
However, this request does not include direct operational costs from the Iran war. This omission means Congress could face hundreds of billions of dollars more in additional war spending beyond the administration’s stated amount.
On April 21, the Pentagon announced that the fiscal 2027 request is the largest in its history. During a budget briefing, acting Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst explained that the plan was created before the Iran conflict started.
He noted that, apart from overlapping needs like munitions, “there aren’t any operational costs in here for Iran.” He also indicated that repairs and reconstruction related to damage in the Middle East would be addressed in a separate future request.
This gap is significant because the war is already proving to be costly. Reuters reported earlier this month that the Pentagon has already asked for $200 billion in extra funding to cover the Iran war, though the White House has not yet sent this request to Congress.
This amount alone would push total defense-related spending well beyond the stated $1.5 trillion, contributing to what is shaping up to be one of the most expensive military funding initiatives in modern U.S. history.
Sen. Ossoff: Trump said it’s not possible for us to take care of daycare, Medicaid, or Medicare. Then he released a budget demanding $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon, paid for by ending utility assistance for families, canceling affordable housing programs, and cutting cancer… pic.twitter.com/FGO7zGedkc
— FactPost (@factpostnews) April 20, 2026
External analysts have also cautioned that the public numbers released so far may only reflect part of the total costs. A CSIS estimate indicated that the Defense Department told Congress the first six days of the war cost $11.3 billion.
This figure seems to exclude the buildup before the initial strikes and the repairs and replacements of damaged assets. CSIS noted that their review of available reports suggests that infrastructure damage and other costs could keep rising, even if daily combat expenses decrease after the initial phase.
The new budget highlights where the Pentagon anticipates financial pressure will arise. According to AP, the department aims to triple drone-related spending to over $74 billion. It also proposes investing more than $30 billion into essential munitions, including Patriot and THAAD interceptors, after stockpiles were depleted during the Iran war.
The proposal includes a significant increase in Tomahawk missile purchases, from 55 last year to 785 in the new request. However, senior officials acknowledged that production capacity remains an issue.
Retired Army Major Harrison Mann completely dismantles the Pentagon’s budget. He reveals the Trump administration treats military spending as a slush fund for contractors like Raytheon, building useless vanity projects while troops suffer in moldy barracks. pic.twitter.com/YLhZyIC3Jf
— Furkan Gözükara (@FurkanGozukara) April 21, 2026
Pentagon officials argue that some of these purchases were necessary regardless of the war. Hurst mentioned that the overlap with Iran is most obvious in munitions and “magazine depth,” referring to replenishing inventories to sustain future military operations. Still, the size and timing of the request demonstrate that the conflict has intensified the need to spend more quickly on weapons production, air defense, and drone warfare.
The defense buildup also occurs within a broader White House budget that pairs increased military spending with cuts in other areas. The administration’s 2027 budget document proposes an additional $350 billion in mandatory funding for the Defense Department, along with reductions at various civilian agencies.
This financial mix is likely to spark debates on Capitol Hill, focusing not only on the costs of the Iran war but also on whether the administration has been transparent about what the $1.5 trillion figure actually includes.
For now, the most important takeaway is that the $1.5 trillion figure does not present the whole picture. Pentagon officials acknowledge that the operational costs of the Iran war are not included in the request.
Analysts assert that even initial war-cost estimates do not seem to cover all damage and replacement needs. This leaves taxpayers and lawmakers looking at a budget proposal that appears historic on paper but could increase significantly once the real costs of the war become clear.
