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President Donald Trump on August 6 denied reports that the United States faces shortages of key munitions, insisting the country has ample stockpiles and warning that those responsible for leaking such claims will face prosecution.
“The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social network.
“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.”
“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down,” he added. “Long-term jail sentences will be sought!”
Right after the statement, The Washington Post reported that Trump confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a Cabinet meeting last week at Camp David in Maryland over severe munitions shortages that have constrained military options against Iran.
The shortages, particularly in long-range guided missiles and air-defense interceptors, have been part of the reason Trump has pulled back from launching additional massive strikes against Iran in recent days, according to the report.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back against the report, calling the claims of a rift between Trump and Hegseth “fake news.”
“This is 100% fake news. Literally never happened. And President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth,” she said in response to questions from The Post.
In the first month of fighting alone, the U.S. fired off more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles and more than 1,000 Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems, The Post previously reported.
The U.S. also used more than 1,300 of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) in the initial weeks of fighting, one U.S. official told The Post. The missile is drained to the extent that there’s basically none left, said one of the people familiar with the matter, and reported earlier this week by Reuters.
The Trump administration has already proposed a $95 billion munitions request in the fiscal year 2027 defense budget, along with an additional $21 billion in a war supplemental request. However, production can take as long as two years, and there’s no immediate relief in sight for the shortages.
The conflict with Iran, which has entered its sixth month, has clearly degraded the military capabilities of the U.S. in a significant way. Beyond that, The Post’s recent report indicates that the conflict has also caused cracks within the Trump administration.
With no settlement in sight, the conflict could very well drag on for several more months, or even to the end of Trump’s term. In any case, a U.S. victory seems increasingly unlikely.
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what an effin’ moron of morons!!! t-rump has gone from dumbass to utter dumbf+ck in a matter of months!!!