U.S. military consumed 950,000 gallons of coffee and “a lot of nicotine” during Iran war, Caine says

Washington — Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, offered a by-the-numbers look Wednesday of the meals and caffeine the U.S. military has consumed during Operation Epic Fury, as a fragile ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran begins to take hold.

Briefing reporters hours after President Trump and Iran announced the pause in fighting to continue negotiations, Caine said the U.S. military has consumed nearly 1 million gallons of coffee in the nearly six-week-long war, and an unspecified amount of nicotine. 

“Along the way, we consumed more than 6 million meals, and by my estimate, more than 950,000 gallons of coffee, 2 million energy drinks and a lot of nicotine,” he said, adding: “But I am not saying that we have a problem.”

That figure works out to about 7.6 million cups of coffee. Caine didn’t specify whether the energy drinks were Monster, Celsius or something else. 

Caine expressed his gratitude to the service members who sacrificed so much, and endured uncomfortable and unpredictable days on behalf of their nation. 

“This is gritty and unforgiving business,” Caine said. “It’s chaotic, it’s hot, it’s dark, is unpredictable, and there’s always unknowns. And our people proudly walked into those unknowns and continue forward, and through it all, the joint force has demonstrated the unwavering resolve that the nation demands of us.”

At the briefing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon has done its job “for now” but will be “hanging around” the region.