Trump Confronts Hegseth Over Munitions Shortage, Pentagon Holds Crisis Meeting

President Donald Trump confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week over a severe shortage of U.S. munitions, according to two people familiar with the exchange who spoke to The Washington Post. The confrontation occurred during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on July 31. Trump told Hegseth he believed the munitions problem “had been fixed” and demanded to know why he had been misled about the dwindling weapons stockpile. Hegseth deflected responsibility to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, suggesting the Pentagon leadership had failed to accurately communicate the true extent of the shortages. Following the Camp David exchange, Trump placed an angry phone call to Feinberg on Friday evening. Four people with knowledge of the meeting told NBC News that Feinberg then hastily gathered top military and defense acquisition officials for a crisis meeting later that night to discuss ways to quickly address the weapons shortfall. Sources said Trump’s suggestion that Feinberg be fired lit a fire under the deputy secretary. The shortages have reportedly constrained Trump’s military options in the ongoing conflict with Iran. CNN reported that the U.S. military has exhausted nearly 80 percent of its THAAD interceptors and roughly half of its Patriot missile interceptors, leaving supplies “dangerously low”. The THAAD batteries serve as the primary shield protecting U.S. bases across West Asia from Iranian ballistic missile attacks. The Washington Post reported that the shortages influenced Trump’s decision not to authorize additional large-scale strikes against Iran in recent days. A report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies released last month estimated that before the war the U.S. military had 2,330 Patriot systems and 452 THAAD systems. As of July 27, an estimated 759 to 827 Patriot systems and 234 to 278 THAAD systems remain. During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on July 21, Hegseth said U.S. military operations in Iran have cost an estimated $37.5 billion. He asked Congress for an additional $67 billion to replenish weapons stockpiles, blaming the Biden administration for not properly funding the Defense Department. The White House and Pentagon swiftly denied the reports. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called the Post’s account “100% fake news” and said the confrontation “literally never happened”. Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said the reports about Trump’s clash with Hegseth and the weapons shortages were “equally fictional”. Trump took to Truth Social on Thursday to deny the munitions shortage, stating the United States has “massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types”. He added that “large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed” and that defense companies are “building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history”. Trump also threatened to hunt down and jail leakers, writing: “The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought!” Iran’s foreign ministry has denied there are any negotiations underway with Washington, even as Trump said Tehran was keen for a deal. The war with Iran reached the 160-day mark this week.