US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed on Thursday that the Pentagon will request an additional $200 billion from Congress to continue the war the country is waging alongside Israel against Iran. Hegseth warned that the amount 'could vary' in the coming days. He stated that the US has completely destroyed Iran's submarine fleet and disabled its military ports, but refused to set a deadline for the end of the conflict, as he did initially, citing that it is up to President Donald Trump to decide when and how to end the attacks. 'Obviously, you need money to kill the bad guys,' he said at a press conference at the Pentagon to update on the conflict, which marks its 20th day of attacks on Thursday. 'We will go back to Congress, and to our representatives there, to make sure we have adequate funding for both the operations already carried out, and those we may need to undertake in the future,' he added regarding the request, which was first reported by The Washington Post. The renamed Department of Defense received an appropriation of nearly $900 billion, the largest ever allocated by Congress, for the current fiscal year. The US spent more than $11.3 billion in the first six days of the war against Iran, according to estimates the Pentagon shared with Congress last week and that were revealed by The New York Times. In the first round of bombings on February 28, weapons such as the precision-guided AGM-154 glide bomb, which can cost over $836,000, were used, according to the New York newspaper, and since then, the Pentagon has said it now plans to use less expensive munitions. Hegseth stated on Thursday that the increase he is requesting represents an additional 25% compared to that original amount. The Pentagon chief also announced they will seek to ensure that US munitions reserves and all military materiel are 'not only fully replenished, but even exceed normal levels.' 'An investment of this magnitude has precisely that purpose: to send the message that we will replace all material that has been consumed,' Hegseth said. The secretary reiterated his criticism of former President Joe Biden's decision to 'deplete' the US arsenal by sending military aid packages to Ukraine to assist in its war against Russia. 'Ultimately, we believe that at this time, these munitions would be better used in the service of our own interests,' he concluded.
