An American aircraft carrier carrying fighter jets while passing through the Suez Canal
Since the start of Israel's war against the Gaza Strip on October 7, the U.S. military reinforcements in the Middle East have cost $1.6 billion, but U.S. news websites, citing unnamed officials, reported that the U.S. Department of Defense has not been able to pay for the budget because members of the U.S. Congress have not approved the budget.
According to the officials, the U.S. Department of Defense recently sent estimates to congressional officials in response to congressional questions.
Total cost
The total cost includes sending warships, fighter jets and additional equipment to the region and keeping them for four months, but does not include the cost of missiles used by the U.S. military to strike Houthi strongholds in Yemen or the cost of shooting down drones and missiles in the waters of the Red Sea, as there is still a lack of data to date to make those calculations, the officials said.
Officials estimate that U.S. military spending in the region could rise to $2.2 billion.
According to the report, the surge in U.S. military spending in the region indicates the latest complications in the rapidly expanding conflict in the Middle East, and the report notes that details of military spending are being brought to Congress and that negotiations on additional demands have begun. President Biden submitted a proposal to the Senate to secure more than $100 billion in aid to support Israel, Ukraine, and more.
As Israel began its war on the Gaza Strip, the Pentagon ordered an additional carrier strike group to be deployed to the Middle East, in addition to amphibious ships carrying Marines, fighter jets, air defenses and hundreds of troops.
According to the newspaper, these forces initially worked to prevent other parties from getting involved in the conflict, and more recently they were responsible for protecting ships on the Red Sea from Houthi attacks.
Fighter jets deployed on an American aircraft carrier in Middle Eastern waters
Fill in the blanks
But U.S. media reported in November that the military now lacks the necessary funds to pay for these unplanned operations, as lawmakers have not yet agreed on a draft bill for the Department of Defense's annual spending.
One of the officials was quoted as saying, "I think that's going to be a void that we want to fill." It's an unpaid bill that we have to pay within our limited resources. ”
MPs are aware of the unplanned costs and are considering how to make the payments. Options include adding it to the annual spending bill, or adding it to an additional $111 billion emergency amount for Ukraine and Israel, or obtaining additional money through financing to cover the costs of the war, the newspaper said.
Some senior members of Congress, including officials responsible for negotiating large-scale aid packages and one-year government funding deals, have yet to agree on whether Middle East-specific funding should be included in additional funding.
The newspaper quoted Patty Murray, chairman of the US Senate Appropriations Committee (a Democrat from Washington), as saying, "We are currently negotiating on all these spending." Before answering whether this expenditure should be included, I would like to know the whole picture."
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jake Reed warned that Congress may need to consider a second round of funding, "I think it's necessary for us to have a separate additional funding given some unintended costs, which are not regular costs." It arose as a result of our response to the disruption of Red Sea vessel traffic by the Houthis in Yemen and the malicious actions of Iran. I think that's what we might agree on. ”
The Senate and House of Representatives must also reach an agreement to fund the entire government for the remainder of fiscal year 2024. Congressional leaders now aim to finalize federal funding by March of this year, and this could be a way to send further funding to the Middle East.
The report quoted Senator Jon Taster, a Democrat who controls most of the Pentagon's spending committee, as saying that the regular appropriations bill was the path he had chosen.
He added, "We have to go through the supplementary procedures first and then hold these talks." ”
The Houthis took control of the MV Leader last November
Can't wait
But Susan Collins, the Republican leader of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, said the military couldn't wait, adding, "They desperately need it." They ran out of money quickly. ”
According to the newspaper, in the 120 days from October last year to January this year, the cost of supporting unplanned operations in the Middle East amounted to $1.6 billion, the specifics of which are as follows:
- Military personnel costs amounted to $29.2 million.
- Expenses for operations and maintenance amounted to $708.6 million.
- Procurement account $528.4 million.
- $51.9 million was spent on research, development, testing and evaluation.
- The cost of transport (from the Working Capital Fund of the Ministry of Transport) amounted to $248.5 million.
According to the Pentagon's projections, mentioned by the newspaper, the cost of maintaining these operations throughout the year is about $2.2 billion, the details of which are as follows:
- $47.2 million for military personnel.
- $940.7 million for operations and maintenance.
- $531.4 million for procurement.
- $96.1 million for research, development, testing and evaluation.
- $549.8 million for transportation.