The cost of using expensive naval missiles which can run up to $2.1 million a shot to destroy drones, estimated at a few thousand dollars each, is a growing concern according to three other DOD officials.

“The cost offset is not on our side,” said one DOD official.

“That quickly becomes a problem because the most benefit, even if we do shoot down their incoming missiles and drones, is in their favor,” said Mick Mulroy, a former DOD official and CIA officer. “We, the U.S., need to start looking at systems that can defeat these that are more in line with the costs they are expending to attack us.”

DOD officials would not confirm what types of weapons are being used or the range at which the drones are being intercepted, citing operational security. But former DOD officials and experts said only one weapon would make sense for that job: the Standard Missile-2, a medium-range air defense weapon that can reach up to 92 or 130 nautical miles, based on the variant. The latest variant, the Block IV, costs $2.1 million a shot.

By contrast, experts estimate the one-way attack drones, which are primarily Iranian-made, cost just $2,000 at most. The larger Shahed-136 is estimated at $20,000, said Shaan Shaikh, a fellow with the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

This is what happens when every general and admiral goes on the payroll for Raytheon, Lockheed, or General Dynamics after they retire.