Hegseth: Claims of munitions depletion ‘foolishly’ exaggerated

The Pentagon insists the U.S. military still has enough weapons to sustain global operations.

By World Israel News Staff

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said claims that the United States is dangerously low on critical munitions stockpiles are being greatly exaggerated, insisting during a House hearing Tuesday that the American military still has sufficient supplies to continue operations and defend the country.

“The munitions issue has been foolishly and unhelpfully overstated,” Hegseth said during the subcommittee hearing. “We have all the munitions needed to execute what we need to execute.”

Hegseth added that he takes “issue with the characterization that munitions are depleted in a public forum. That’s not true.”

The former Marine emphasized that military leaders are carefully managing the use of weapons and supplies during the ongoing conflict.

“Even in the conduct of the conflict, working with the chairman [Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine] and [Central Command chief] Adm. [Brad] Cooper, ensuring that any munitions we’re using, we know what we’re trading off of to preserve capabilities,” Hegseth said. “So we have maximum optionality across the globe.”

Hegseth’s remarks came after numerous media reports claimed that U.S. inventories of key weapons systems — including Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), Patriot air defense interceptors, and Tomahawk cruise missiles — have been strained following the outbreak of Operation Epic Fury.

Several defense companies have already announced plans to increase production in an effort to replenish supplies depleted during the conflict.

Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies Defense and Security Program, told Time magazine that manufacturing advanced weapons systems takes significant time.

“The Department of Defense has more money, really, than it can spend on munitions. The problem is time,” Cancian said. “The production rate will increase, but that takes three, four years before production meets demand.”

Cancian also warned that American defense companies will likely prioritize supplying the U.S. military before fulfilling international orders.

“The Gulf States want to replenish their air and missile defense inventories. The Ukrainians want Patriots. The Japanese want Tomahawks and there may be other countries that want to expand their inventories also,” Cancian said.

“And for the next couple of years, there just aren’t going to be enough missiles to go around.”