WAR is making Money
I am tired of hearing this war is costing a billion a day. Lets get real. This war is making a money. Over 60% of the costs go to private companies whose business model is WAR. This war is making billions. That is what war is all about. It’s the most profitable business on the planet. Operation Epic Fury represent a massive daily windfall for private industry, totaling over $600 million every 24 hours.
In 2005, when I got back from Iraq, I tried to get my representatives to talk to me about who was taking care of the Iraqi people; got nowhere. But the war contractors had all-day, all-time access. We ended the Road to Fallujah with a message of profits, lack of accountability, and the war-road to Iran. We had no idea how prophetic it would be.
Below is that clip from The Road to Fallujah.
It really is about profits. Trump on the early days of the war met with war contractors and stated: there is a "virtually unlimited supply" of U.S. munitions and that "wars can be fought "forever." I say, when they are making $600 million a day, they want that to go on forever. There must be a way to make peace profitable.
Below is a breakdown of where your tax dollars are flowing: the profits of war.
Tracking the $640 Million Daily Flow in Operation Epic Fury
As of March 2026, the United States is spending approximately $1 billion per day on military operations against Iran, known as Operation Epic Fury. When accounting for munitions, specialized maintenance, and fuel procurement, an estimated 60% to 64% of this daily expenditure—roughly $640 million—flows directly into the private sector [1, 5]. This massive transfer of public funds to private entities is primarily concentrated within three industrial pillars: the "Big Five" aerospace and defense contractors, specialized AI and tech firms, and global energy conglomerates [2, 4].
1. The Munitions Industrial Base: $540 Million Daily
The largest single recipient of private sector funding is the munitions industry. Modern "kinetic strikes" rely on high-cost precision-guided munitions (PGMs) that must be replaced as soon as they are fired.
Raytheon (RTX) and Lockheed Martin: These firms are the primary beneficiaries of the "interceptor war." A single Patriot missile costs approximately $4 million to $5 million, and SM-6 interceptors used by the Navy cost over $4 million each [1, 2]. During high-intensity Iranian drone and missile barrages, the U.S. has spent over $760 million in a single day just on these defensive reloads [2].
Offensive Systems: Lockheed Martin also produces the Tomahawk cruise missile, priced at $2.2 million per unit [2]. As stockpiles dwindle, the Pentagon has requested a $200 billion supplemental budget to pay these firms for accelerated production lines [3, 5].
2. The Energy Sector: $55 Million to $80 Million Daily
While often categorized as an "operational cost," 100% of military fuel is purchased from private business. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Energy acts as the middleman, directing billions to private refiners.
Major Refiners: Companies like Marathon Petroleum, Chevron U.S.A., and Valero hold the largest contracts for supplying jet fuel (JP-8) and marine diesel to the Middle East theater [4].
Market Volatility: Because the military buys at market rates, the war itself—which has spiked global oil prices to between $150 and $200 per barrel—increases the profit margins for the very companies supplying the fuel for the conflict [4, 5].
3. Technology and Maintenance: $20 Million Daily
The 2026 conflict marks the first time "Algorithm Warfare" has become a major line item in daily combat costs.
AI and Intelligence: The Pentagon pays private software firms like Palantir (for its AIP platform) and Anthropic (for Claude 4 integration) to process battlefield data and identify targets [5, 6].
Contractor Logistics Support (CLS): For high-tech platforms like the F-35, the military does not perform all its own maintenance. Instead, it pays Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney "power-by-the-hour" fees to keep aircraft flight-ready, costing between $33,000 and $42,000 per flight hour per jet [1, 5].
Conclusion
The "private sector" share of the $1 billion daily cost is not a monolithic block but a complex network of aerospace engineers, oil refiners, and software developers. While the U.S. military provides the personnel and the strategy, the hardware and energy required to sustain Operation Epic Fury represent a massive daily windfall for private industry, totaling over $600 million every 24 hours [1, 5].
Citations:
CSIS: Iran War Cost Estimate Update - $1.13 Billion on Day 6
Bloomberg: What Does the Iran War Cost? A Look at the Expense Report
GovConWire: DLA Awards Fuel Supply Contracts to 12 Companies
Investors Business Daily: Defense Stocks and Operation Epic Fury
Yahoo Finance: 3 Key Contractors Set to Benefit from Iran Strikes