PNN – The US Department of War (Pentagon) is facing increasing financial pressures due to a growing number of unexpected expenses, especially fuel costs.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, ABC News wrote: Defense Department documents show that the average prices of fuel the military paid rose from $154.14 per barrel in October to $195.72 in April. That represents an increase of nearly 27 percent in six months.
The report said: These figures show the average fuel costs for approximately 24 different fuels, including gasoline and jet fuel.
Fuel prices have risen during the Iran war, potentially adding more than $1 billion in unplanned costs this year to military aircraft, tanks and other equipment. The US Department of War uses about 80 million barrels of fuel annually.
Senior US military officials are also reportedly grappling with rising costs for civilian fuel and commercial airline tickets. Since soldiers often rely on commercial flights, rental cars and reimbursed personal travel for training and other activities, these increases are putting additional pressure on the Pentagon budget. As a result, travel costs have come under close scrutiny.
ABC News added: Since at least April, some US Department of War units have significantly reduced or canceled training trips and other events to control costs.
Orlando Howard, a US military spokesman, said: Current changes in the energy market are increasing fuel costs, which can impact the costs of transporting personnel, supplies, and equipment.
The report added that the US military will have to make “widespread cuts to training programs” to cover a budget deficit of $4 billion to $6 billion for the remainder of the fiscal year that ends on September 30.
This budget deficit is due to several factors, including the war against Iran, increased missions at the border, and the continued deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C.