wz94/Shutterstock Gas still isn't as expensive as it was back in 2022, but filling up still costs way more than it did back in February. And for some reason, the general public doesn't love it when gas gets expensive. Maybe it has something to do with roughly half of all households in the U.S. not earning enough to cover basic expenses. Still, you never know. There could be other reasons. But the good news is, if you're currently struggling financially, you aren't alone. ABC News reports the Pentagon is also sad that gas is expensive now. Considering the fact Trump started this war without making his case to Congress, and it's likely already cost taxpayers more than $100,000,000,000, you might assume the Pentagon's budget is just an infinity symbol. And yet, ABC News says, "The Pentagon is increasingly strained by a growing list of unplanned and rising expenses over the last year, with fuel costs emerging as one of the most significant pressures." That's reportedly because six months after an average barrel of fuel cost $154.14, the Pentagon's costs had jumped to $195.72, an increase of about 27%. In total, our military will reportedly spend "more than $1 billion in unplanned costs this year to power its jets, tanks and other military equipment, based on the department's fuel consumption in recent years." Huh. Maybe the people who screwed up the whole "ships could move freely through the Strait of Hormuz" thing aren't so different from you and I after all. Maybe they should have thought of that before they started a war before they'd figured out how to keep gas cheap, but the toothpaste's definitely not going back in the tube now. On the plus side, maybe you feel a little less bad about not being the best at budgeting. Training travel troubles The Old Major/Shutterstock That 27% increase wasn't for one type of fuel, either. Rather, it's an average price per barrel that includes about two dozen different types of fuel. It would probably be great if you could run a fighter jet on the same stuff you put in a truck, but sadly, that's not how planes work. But higher fuel costs aren't exclusively an issue for tanks and helicopters. The military's reportedly had to cut back on travel, and that's meant the troops aren't able to train like they were before. From ABC: Commanders are also grappling with surging civilian fuel and commercial airfare costs, adding to the financial strain on a military that depends heavily on both. Troops typically use commercial flights and rental cars to travel to different training events, and are often compensated for miles driven in personal vehicles. Because of that, travel is being heavily scrutinized, with some formations dramatically reducing travel for training and other events or outright canceling the bulk of it since at least April, multiple U.S. officials explained to ABC News and documents show. Fuel costs aren't the only issue with training, though. ABC News also reports that "the Army has been forced to make sweeping cuts to training as it grapples with a $4 billion-$6 billion shortfall through the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30." As for where that, shall we say, $5 billion shortfall came from, the war is reportedly an issue, but it's also due to "expanding missions on the U.S. southern border, and the National Guard's ongoing mission in Washington, D.C., which is aimed to double in size to some 5,000 troops for the summer." Oh well, they'll probably figure it out. It's just money after all. And whomst amongst us hasn't ever accidentally overspent and ended up a few billion dollars in the hole?