US President Donald Trump has dismissed reports that Washington was running short of munitions and denied claims that he confronted his defence secretary Pete Hegseth over the shortages, calling it “fake news” and reportedly ordering fresh investigations into the disclosures concerning the Pentagon’s munitions stockpile.
His remarks came after a report by The Washington Post said Trump questioned Hegseth last week after learning he had allegedly been given incorrect information about severe shortages of munitions that could restrict US military options against Iran.
What Trump said on weapons shortage claim
The US president said on Thursday that the United States has an abundant supply of munitions. He also warned that those spreading claims about shortages could face prison.
“I am extremely happy with the job that Pete Hegseth is doing,” he wrote on Truth Social on Thursday. “Everything has been extraordinary, including our attack on Venezuela”, and likewise in Iran, “where the country has been decimated.”
He added that the US possesses “massive amounts of ‘munitions’, especially of certain types”, but did not provide any further details.
“Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history,” he said.
Trump also criticised the reports, saying that “the ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down” and that “Long-term jail sentences will be sought!”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also rejected the claims, describing the reported exchange with Hegseth as “FAKE NEWS!”
“I was at Camp David with President Trump and Secretary Hegseth. This literally never happened,” she wrote on X.
Inside the munitions shortage report that Trump called ‘fake news’
The Washington Post reported that Trump sought answers from Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth over the reported munitions shortages during a Cabinet meeting held last Friday at the Camp David presidential retreat.
The report, citing two unnamed people familiar with the discussion, said Trump told Hegseth that he believed the munitions problem “had been fixed”.
It added that shortages of long-range guided missiles and air-defence interceptors were among the reasons that led Trump to step back from launching what he had described as “the biggest attack since World War II” against Iran in recent days.
During the reported confrontation, Hegseth reportedly defended his handling of the matter and blamed his deputy, Stephen Feinberg, for the shortages and for failing to keep Trump fully informed.
Iran war drains US arsenal: Report
The Washington Post reported that in the first weeks of the war, the US used more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles, over 1,000 Patriot and THAAD interceptors, and more than 1,300 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles.
An official quoted in the report said the stock of ATACMS missiles had fallen so sharply that there was “basically none left”.
The reported shortage of defensive munitions is affecting US operations beyond West Asia. With interceptor missiles in limited supply, Washington is now reportedly having to be more selective about when they are used against incoming threats.
