1 hour ago
1
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied that the American subject was facing a munitions stockpile shortage, saying connected Sunday (June 14, 2026) that it was a "manufactured story" peddled by the media.
Mr. Hegseth's comments came hours earlier the United States and Iran said they reached a woody to extremity the Middle East warfare connected each fronts, including Lebanon, and to reopen the captious Strait of Hormuz.
Concerns implicit the West Asia warfare straining U.S. weapons stockpiles deepened past period aft Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao cited the struggle arsenic a crushed for pausing arms income to Taiwan.
Hegseth dismissed the thought erstwhile asked connected CBS News' Face the Nation if determination was a situation successful munitions stockpiles.
"That is simply a manufactured communicative that the media wants to peddle, and yet our stockpiles are large and they're lone getting stronger," helium said.
"We're gathering much than ever before. The Biden medication gave distant hundreds of billions to Ukraine, and truthful President Trump had to refill, and helium has, and we have, successful existent time."
At an April legislature hearing, Mr. Hegseth testified that it could instrumentality "months and years" to replenish the stockpile, describing it arsenic a "fast" clip frame.
Mr. Hegseth said connected Sunday (June 14, 2026) that, successful his testimony, helium "speculated immoderate munitions instrumentality much clip than others" to refill.
The Pentagon said past period that the outgo of the warfare with Iran had climbed to astir $29 billion.
Democrats and different critics of the warfare person questioned the Pentagon's calculations, suggesting the existent outgo including harm inflicted by Iran — could beryllium acold higher.
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly warned astatine the clip that inventories of Tomahawk missiles, Patriot interceptors and different precocious weapons had been severely drawn down and could instrumentality years to replenish.
Mr. Hegseth responded that the concerns were "foolishly and unhelpfully overstated."
