As many Americans continue grappling with the rising cost of living, the US Pentagon reportedly wrapped up the fiscal year, which runs from October to September, with a spending spree, burning through $93 billion on items ranging from iPads to millions of dollars’ worth of crab and lobster dinners.
Open the Booksa government watchdog, found in a new analysis that in September 2025, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly burned through cash and spent over $9 million on crab and lobster dinners.
The unusual spending on crab and lobster dinners has also drawn attention. According to a report in military.comthere’s a widely recognized belief that when steak and lobster appear in the dining facility, something significant is likely coming. It is often described as a “surf and turf” meal, and the combination has become embedded in military culture as a precursor to deployments, combat operations, or extended missions.
The belief seems to be true as US President Donald Trump increased military presence in the Middle East and deployed major naval and air assets to the region as tensions with Iran escalated. This included aircraft carriers, fighter jets, and missile-defense systems. Following the increased military deployment, the US launched strikes on Iran in late February.
Why has the Pentagon splurged?
As the fiscal year draws to a close, defense officials often focus on using up the remaining military budget. Under “use-it-or-lose-it” rules, any unspent funds must be returned, which can also risk smaller budget allocations in the following year.
What did the analysis find?
In the last few days of September, the DoD spent over $50.1 billion on grants and contracts, which is more than the annual defense budget of countries like Israel and Italy. Reportedly, there are only nine foreign countries that spend such a massive amount on their military in a year.
Lobster tails, salmon, and king crab top DoD’s spending chart
The watchdog also revealed that in September alone, the US Department of Defense (DoD) splurged a total of $6.9 million on lobster tail and $2 million on Alaskan king crab. In 2025, DoD also spent over $7.4 million on lobster tails in March, May, June, and October. However, the decadent seafood wasn’t the only expensive item that the Pentagon purchased. Hegseth also reportedly spent $15.1 million on ribeye steak in September, $124,000 for new ice cream machines, and $139,224 on donut orders. It also spent $1 million on salmon and $26,000 for sushi preparation tables.
Furniture purchases by DoD
Additionally, furniture purchases surge at the end of the military’s fiscal year. Since 2008, the DoD has spent an average of $257.6 million on furniture each September, which is roughly 564% higher than usual. In other months, the military spends only about $38.8 million on furniture on average. In 2025, the DoD spent $225.6 million on furniture, the highest since 2014. The analysis showed that most of the furniture was labeled as “office furniture.” It also spent $60,719 on chairs and $12,540 paid for three-tiered fruit basket stands.
IT and telecom
At least $5.9 billion was spent on Information Technology and telecommunications in September, including $3.5 billion for services such as tech support and cable television, making it the fourth-highest monthly total ever. This also includes $2.4 billion worth of IT-related goods, including laptops and software licenses.
electronics
In the last fiscal year that ended September, US defense officials purchased Apple devices worth $5.3 million. This included 400 new iPad Air M3 for $315,200. Analysis shows that the same iPad with 128 GB storage is available for $499, but the DoD opted for 512 GB storage models.
A whopping $4 million was spent on Samsung products, which included a 98-inch monitor with a “crystal UHD display” for $4,000.
musical instruments
The DoD did not fail to amuse with its passion for music, since it bought instruments worth $1.8 million. They include a $98,329 Steinway & Sons grand piano ordered for the Air Force chief of staff’s home, a $26,000 violin, and a $21,750 handmade flute from the luxury Japanese brand Muramatsu.
Other items
The Pentagon also bought footrests for $111,497 and an additional $3,160 on stickers featuring Dora the Explorer, Frozen, Paw Patrol, and more. It also spent $19.3 million on garbage collection.
