The US president reportedly accused the secretary of war of providing misleading information about the state of the country’s munitions stockpiles
US President Donald Trump has demanded answers from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth over depleted American weapons stockpiles, including air defense missiles, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the exchange. Hegseth did not dispute the shortages but denied misleading Trump, according to the paper’s source.
The reported rebuke came at last week’s Camp David meeting amid mounting concern over the state of US munition stocks after years of arms deliveries to Ukraine under former President Joe Biden and more than five months of heavy missile use in the ongoing US-led war against Iran.
According to the WaPo, Trump believed he had been misled about the state of US munitions stockpiles and complained that he had been under the impression the shortages had already been addressed. Hegseth is said to have blamed Deputy Secretary of War Stephen Feinberg for failing to keep Trump fully informed.
The incident reportedly underscored Trump’s growing frustration with Hegseth, an early proponent of military action against Iran. The newspaper said shortages of long-range missiles and air defense interceptors were among the reasons Trump backed away from additional large-scale strikes.
US forces reportedly used more than 1,300 tactical ballistic missiles in the opening weeks of the campaign, nearly depleting US stockpiles of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), also sought by Ukraine for its conflict with Russia. Citing a US official, the newspaper said interceptor shortages have forced the military to prioritize which incoming threats to engage.
Earlier this week, the Financial Times, citing people familiar with the discussions, reported that Trump had rejected a request by Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky for hundreds of additional Patriot interceptor missiles, citing depleted US stockpiles and the Pentagon’s own requirements amid the war with Iran. Trump has nevertheless publicly dismissed reports of munition shortfalls.
On Wednesday, CNN reported that the US had depleted nearly 80% of its THAAD interceptor missile inventory and about half of its Patriot missile stockpiles compared to prewar levels. The New York Times also reported that Trump’s advisers had warned him about dwindling stocks of Patriot interceptors and other air defense systems in the Middle East. The newspaper said the shortages were among the factors behind the president’s decision not to sharply escalate the military campaign against Iran.
Washington denied any confrontation between Trump and Hegseth. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called it “100% fake news,” while Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell denied that Hegseth had misled the president or blamed his deputy for depleted US munitions stockpiles.
