President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reportedly clashed during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David last week over the president’s accusations that Hegseth misled him over US munitions shortages that could affect military operations against Iran, The Washington Post reported Thursday, citing two people familiar with the exchange.
According to the report, Trump expressed frustration that he had not been informed of the extent of the shortages, telling Hegseth he believed the problem “had been fixed.” The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Hegseth responded by blaming Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg for failing to fully brief the president.
Reported shortages were among the factors behind Trump’s decision to abandon what he described as a planned massive strike on Iran last week, saying it would have been “the biggest attack since World War II.”
The White House rejected the account of the conflict between President Trump and the Hegseth, calling it “100% fake news” and saying Trump has the “utmost confidence” in Hegseth.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell also denied the report in an official statement.
“Secretary Hegseth did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture, and he did not blame Deputy Secretary Feinberg … These claims about depleted stockpiles, internal disagreements, the secretary’s position on Iran … are equally fictional,” Parnell said.
President Trump also disputed reports of ammunition shortages in a Truth Social post early Thursday.
“The US has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types. Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the US as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history.”
He added that “the ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long-term jail sentences will be sought!”
CNN reported Wednesday that the US military has exhausted nearly 80% of its interceptors for a key missile defense system and that senior commanders have warned Pentagon officials the nation’s munitions stockpile is “dangerously low.”
The Washington Post reported the United States fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles, more than 1,000 Patriot and THAAD interceptors, and more than 1,300 Army tactical ballistic missiles during the first month of fighting. Reuters separately reported that U.S. stocks of ATACMS missiles have been nearly depleted, while replacement production could take as long as two years.
