Pentagon watchdog reveals destroyed aircraft, battered bases and growing pressure on America’s weapons stockpile
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – Iranian attacks have damaged or destroyed hundreds of structures at American military bases across the Middle East, according to the Pentagon inspector general’s first broad accounting of the war’s toll.
The strikes hit U.S. installations in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan. Dozens of American aircraft and drones were also damaged or destroyed, including as many as 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones and seven KC-135 refueling aircraft. Five of those tankers were reportedly struck while parked in Saudi Arabia.
The damage reaches well beyond machinery. Eleven American service members were listed as killed in action, while seven others died in incidents classified as non-hostile. Their sacrifice is a sobering reminder that every military decision carries a human cost borne by families and communities back home.
The watchdog also warned of “strategic inventory shortfalls” and defense-industry bottlenecks slowing the replacement of advanced weapons. When Iran struck the naval base in Bahrain, the Navy was forced to rely on more distant supply hubs, stretching some logistics cycles to between 14 and 18 days.
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