Trump Confronts Defense Secretary Over Munitions Shortage Amid Iran War

Donald Trump confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at Camp David last week over a munitions shortage that could limit the president’s military options in the Iran war, according to a new report. During the exchange on the sidelines of Trump’s Cabinet meeting on Friday, Trump asked Hegseth to explain why he had apparently been misled on the dwindling weapons stockpile, saying that he thought the issue “had been fixed,” two people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post. Hegseth had blamed his deputy, Stephen Feinberg, for the shortages and for not making sure Trump was fully informed of the issue, according to the Post’s sources. The Trump administration has denied the reporting. As the war drags into its sixth month, the Pentagon is reportedly running low on missile interceptors. The US military had 2,330 Patriot systems and 452 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems before the war, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies released last month. As of July 27, an estimated 759 to 827 Patriot systems and 234 to 278 THAAD systems remain, the report said. During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing last month, Hegseth said US military operations in Iran have cost an estimated $37.5 billion. He also asked Congress for an additional $67 billion to, in part, replenish weapons stockpiles, blaming the Biden administration for not properly funding the Defense Department. “These funds will expand production lines and accelerate delivery of high-demand munitions. We're talking about solid rocket motors, JDAMs [Joint Direct Attack Munitions], hypersonics, and counter-drone capabilities,” he said during the July 21 hearing. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has defended Hegseth, calling the Post’s reporting on his Camp David exchange with Trump “100% fake news.” “Literally never happened. And President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth,” Leavitt told the publication. Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell also denied the reporting, telling the Post, “Secretary Hegseth did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture, and he did not blame Deputy Secretary Feinberg. These claims about depleted stockpiles, internal disagreements…are equally fictional.” The Independent has reached out to the White House, which referred to Leavitt’s statement, and the Defense Department for comment. Despite the report about Trump grilling Hegseth in private, Hegseth was publicly praising the president during Friday’s Cabinet meeting. Hegseth talked about Trump having the “courage to undertake Epic Fury and this Iranian regime and ensure they never have a nuclear weapon…and, frankly, the courage to negotiate with people that have shown no willingness to do so honestly.”