DID Press: A new assessment of U.S. military expenditures indicates that the financial burden of American operations and force deployments in the region has reached a level that seriously challenges Washington’s long-term sustainability. The daily cost of transferring a single U.S. carrier strike group is estimated at around $9 million. In the case of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group, combined with two weeks of preparatory activities, total costs have exceeded $200 million. A second carrier group currently en route to the region is expected to cost between $100 million and $200 million for transfer and readiness.
Each carrier strike group typically remains deployed for three to six months. Even without combat operations, the cost of a three-month deployment is estimated at roughly $2 billion per carrier group. As a result, U.S. expenditures linked solely to confronting Iran have already reached nearly $4 billion, underscoring the growing financial strain of this military presence. In addition, Washington has spent between $10 billion and $13 billion to counter Houthi maritime attacks in the Red Sea.
During the recent 12-day conflict, U.S. costs alone surpassed $2 billion. This included the deployment of seven B-2 bombers, the use of GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs, the launch of more than 24 Tomahawk missiles, the expenditure of over 150 THAAD interceptor missiles, and extensive air support operations. Heavy carrier strike group activity during this short period cost between $80 million and $110 million, while multi-month deployments in the lead-up to the conflict were estimated at hundreds of millions to over $1 billion.
Taken together, these figures show that U.S. military spending has not only reached unprecedented levels, but is approaching a stage where it places severe pressure on both the operational capacity and financial resilience of the American armed forces—raising the risk of long-term structural fatigue and reduced strategic flexibility.