Naval Operations Chief Adm. Daryl Caudle said Thursday that without supplemental funding for the U.S. war in Iran, he will have to implement cuts in training, routine operations and personnel by July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe [fiscal 2026] budget didn\u2019t bake in [Operation] Epic Fury,\u201d Caudle said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing. \u201cYou see a large Navy force in the Middle East. So we\u2019re burning bright \u2026 but it does come at cost, and it comes at operational costs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To have the funds necessary to continue the war effort \u2014 which is quickly racking up fuel costs, operating hours, maintenance dollars and munitions \u2014 \u201cI do fear that I\u2019ll have to start making decisions in the July time frame,\u201d Caudle said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that manpower accounts will take a hit without additional funding, with the Navy having to put a hold on between 12,000 and 15,000 new sailors he\u2019s trying to give a permanent change of station (PCS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy record recruiting is going to be thwarted without additional funding to PCS to those individuals from boot camp and to pay enlistment and reenlistment bonuses,\u201d according to Caudle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cost of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran continues to balloon since it began on Feb. 28. As of Tuesday, the Pentagon has assessed its price tag at nearly $29 billion, up from $25 billion two weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Defense Department has had to pull funding from various accounts to fund the conflict, with the White House expected to ask Congress for a $80 billion to $100 billion supplemental to foot the bill \u2014 with a large chunk to backfill depleted munitions used in the fighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the prospects for that request are in \u201cbig trouble,\u201d GOP senators told The Hill this week, as lawmakers have grown frustrated with the administration\u2019s lack of a clear plan in the war, from which President Trump is currently seeking an off-ramp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Congress is also still waiting on the official supplemental request. Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) on Tuesday said it would be helpful to get \u201csooner rather than later, so we can get to work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI would hope we can get a supplemental bill here soon,\u201d Calvert, the chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a panel hearing. \u201cObviously we know of the munitions issue and we know of the cost of this conflict. \u2026 Any idea of when we\u2019re going to get this supplemental?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hegseth declined to answer, saying only that the Pentagon is \u201cwell aware of all of those dynamics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n