The IG report, however, paints a radically different story of the Iran war than the one portrayed by Trump and Hegseth. In addition to highlighting the munitions shortfalls — which it sourced directly from the Office of the Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment, the office responsible for purchasing weapons for the U.S. military — the report notes that the Iran war has resulted in more than 50 U.S. military aircraft being damaged or destroyed. In addition, “USCENTCOM reported that Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan,” according to the report.

As the IG report notes, the greatest costs have been borne by the 18 service members who lost their lives in the conflict, as well as the more than 400 service members who were wounded in action in just the first four months of the conflict. The Defense Casualty Analysis System now shows more than 800 servicemembers have been injured in the Iran war.

That is why war is supposed to be approved by Congress.