Now, as the United States is in a new and increasingly tumultuous age of war in the Middle East, the cost of "Operation Epic Fury" is increasingly being added to the financial bill for it. While the human toll of war has been felt for instance by American military service members in Kuwait financial analysts are now sounding the alarm over an economic cost that they say will redefine America’s national debt.
Kent Smetters, the director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model (PWBM), who is also one of the most experienced fiscal experts for the nation, estimates that a monthlong war could siphon as much as $210 billion (about ₹18.87 lakh crore) from the American economy. The initial 24 hours of strikes alone cost $779 million (nearly ₹6,900 crore, estimates compiled by Anadolu and CENTCOM data)
- B-2 Stealth Bombers: Four B-2s flying non-stop from Missouri alone cost $30.2 million in flight and maintenance charges.
- Tomahawk Missiles: An estimated 200 cruise missiles fired, $340.4 million worth of munitions.
- Carrier Groups: The cost of operating the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln strike groups is about $15 million a day.
The $630 Million “Invisible” Build-Up
Long before the first missile was rolled out, the American taxpayer was already footing a huge bill. The buildup to pre-strike operations a coordinated reshuffling of over 100 planes, the placement of a dozen naval ships and the mobilization of regional stockpiling is set to cost $630 million (₹5,556 crore).
Such “sunk costs” include aspects like the logistics of relocating THAAD and Patriot missile defense systems and activating reserve units across the Middle East.
The A Long Time Before the Start of the War: The $210 Billion Project President Donald Trump has said that although our campaign is “ahead of schedule,” the USA is ready for four to five weeks of conflict, or indeed longer. It’s during such duration that the Penn Wharton Budget Model projections for this period are driven, at $210 billion. The number is divided into two groups:
- Direct Military Expenses ($95 Billion): These can include active operations, replacement of expensive munitions such as SM-3 interceptors, and repairs and replacements of equipment lost (including the three F-15E jets lost during the campaign).
- Economic Aftermath ($115 Billion): This includes the wider implications for the U.S. economy in terms of disruptions to energy markets as oil prices shoot up above $80 a barrel and the consequences of the Strait of Hormuz blockade.
And over a year, the Trump administration has collected about $133.5 billion in reciprocal tariff revenue, aimed at reducing the national debt. But the expected $210 billion expense of the Iran war largely erases those gains, deflating what may have been a surplus as it goes into budget deficit military outlays. As war grows in intensity in the region, luring in Lebanon and threatening gas in the Gulf, the cost of the “Epic Fury” doesn’t stop at a military statistic it is a massive risk to U.S. domestic economic stabilization.
