Pete Hegseth sharply rebuked a reporter over what he called a “foolish” question about U.S. munitions supplies, as fresh reports suggest critical American missile stockpiles have fallen to worrying levels.
The Defense Secretary was in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on Monday for an “Arsenal of Freedom” event when he pushed back forcefully, asking: “Why would I answer a question about whether we do or do not have certain types of munitions?”
Hegseth argued that revealing information about specific weapons inventories would endanger operational security.
“I would never answer that question,” he said, gesturing visibly as his frustration mounted. “The American press is foolish to want to press an American War Department about where we may or may not be on classified, exquisite systems.”
The question centered on reports that the Army had expended “virtually all” of its long-range ATACMS missiles, along with their next-generation replacement, Precision Strike Missiles, or PrSMs, during the Iran war.
ATACMS and PrSMs are long-range surface-to-surface missiles designed to let U.S. forces hit command centers, air-defense networks and logistics hubs from safer distances, reducing the need to send aircraft and pilots into heavily defended airspace.
Those capabilities would be especially important in any potential conflict with China, whose military fields sophisticated air-defense systems.
Concerns over America’s missile stockpiles intensified after the Washington Post reported Sunday night that the heavy use of munitions in the Iran war had left the United States dangerously vulnerable to aggression in the Pacific.
Pete Hegseth speaks on Thursday during an event to honor Marines who were serving during the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing at the Pentagon
US Navy sailors load AIM-120 air-to-air missiles on a F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, lead ship in the Ford Class Aircraft Carriers (file photo)
The US Army conducting live fire tests of the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico (file photo)
The Post reported that as many as three-quarters of the Pentagon’s approximately 90 PrSMs had been depleted.
The report said the US had also fired more than 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles in the Iran conflict, out of an estimated prewar inventory of 3,100 to 4,500, and had depleted roughly a quarter of its prewar stock of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, or JASSMs.
Those are offensive long-range weapons used to destroy targets deep inside enemy territory.
But analysts said the more immediate danger in a war with China would be the depleted inventory of Patriot and THAAD interceptors, defensive missiles designed to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles.
The concern is particularly acute in a potential conflict with China, which possesses more than 3,000 ballistic missiles, according to analysts cited by the Post.
The newspaper reported that the US had already expended most of its pre-Iran-war stocks of Patriot and THAAD interceptors, leaving an estimated 1,000 missiles to protect American bases and tens of thousands of troops across Asia.
But Hegseth insisted Monday: ‘We had plenty when we needed it, and we have plenty now and we have plenty when we’ll need them in the future, absolutely.’
The White House has meanwhile shifted toward an economic pressure campaign against Iran after reports that Trump clashed with Hegseth over missile shortages and the handling of the war. The White House and the Pentagon denied the account.
Jennifer Hegseth, left, gets a kiss from her husband Pete, as Donald Trump concludes speaking in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, August 3
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced what the administration called an ‘economic D-Day’ on Monday, threatening secondary sanctions against countries that continue doing business with Iran.
Trump advisers and allies told The Atlantic that the administration’s ‘quiet stranglehold’ is intended to push the conflict ‘to the background,’ while Republicans shift voters’ attention to more politically favorable issues.
The approach would allow Trump to claim gradual progress without the daily spectacle of an all-out war.
Hegseth is also confronting a potential shakeup at the top of the Army following a months-long influence battle with Army Secretary Dan Driscoll – an ally of JD Vance.
The Defense Secretary is considering his chief Pentagon spokesman and senior adviser, Sean Parnell, to replace Driscoll, two sources told The Hill.
Driscoll is weighing an exit from the Pentagon in the coming months and is considering leaving around Labor Day.
But the White House wants him to remain in place at least through November’s midterms, a source said.
Our News Outlet has contacted the Pentagon for comment.
