'Not True': US War Secretary Pete Hegseth Rejects Media Reports Claiming US Missile Defence Stockpiles 'Dangerously Low'

Washington: US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday (local time) rejected a media report claiming that the Pentagon’s missile defence stockpiles had fallen to dangerously low levels.

In a post on X, Hegseth wrote, “That banner is NOT TRUE, @CNN. Shame on you. We don’t hate the Fake News media enough.”

His remarks came after CNN reported, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter, that the US military has exhausted nearly 80 per cent of its inventory of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors and around half of its Patriot missile interceptors since the conflict with Iran began.

According to CNN, senior US military commanders have warned that the Pentagon’s munitions stockpile is “dangerously low,” with key air defence systems significantly depleted during operations linked to the war with Iran.

The report cited estimates by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which said the United States possessed around 452 THAAD missiles and approximately 2,200 Patriot interceptors before the conflict.

CNN further reported that concerns over dwindling interceptor inventories were raised during discussions within the Trump administration over whether to escalate military action against Iran. According to the report, Gulf allies also expressed concern that shortages in US air defence systems could affect their ability to defend against possible Iranian missile or drone attacks if regional hostilities intensified.

The report said those concerns, along with intelligence assessments regarding potential civilian casualties and threats to regional energy infrastructure, contributed to President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend planned military strikes on Iran over the weekend.

CNN also reported that the US Army had used “virtually all” of its highly accurate long-range surface-to-air weapons during the conflict and that stockpiles of Tomahawk cruise missiles had also been significantly reduced.

However, Pentagon and White House officials rejected suggestions that the US military lacked sufficient capabilities.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told CNN that the US military possesses “everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing,” while White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the armed forces have “more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump’s strategic goals and beyond.”