President Donald Trump reportedly confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over severe U.S. munitions shortages that have limited American military options in the conflict with Iran, according to The Washington Post, which cited two people familiar with the exchange.
The confrontation took place on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat in Thurmont, Md.
The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation, said Trump vented that he believed the munitions problem “had been fixed.”
During the exchange, Hegseth reportedly blamed Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg for the shortages and for failing to adequately communicate the scope of the problem to Trump.
White House and Pentagon push back
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt disputed the account, telling the newspaper, “This is 100% fake news. Literally never happened. And President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth.”
Leavitt also posted on X that she was present at Camp David with Trump and Hegseth and said the conversation “literally never happened,” adding that Trump “loves the Secretary and thinks he’s doing a tremendous job.”
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell also denied that Hegseth misrepresented the state of U.S. munitions.
“Secretary Hegseth did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture, and he did not blame Deputy Secretary Feinberg,” Parnell said. “These claims about depleted stockpiles, internal disagreements, the Secretary’s position on Iran … are equally fictional.”
Separately, NBC News reported that Feinberg received an angry phone call from Trump over the shortages and later convened a “crisis” meeting with senior Pentagon officials.
According to NBC’s sources, Trump said the shortages were affecting whether he would expand military operations against Iran and pressed Feinberg on how the Pentagon planned to resolve the issue. The sources also said Trump raised the possibility of firing Feinberg during the call.
Scale of the munitions shortage
The dispute centers on depleted U.S. stockpiles of long-range guided missiles and air defense interceptors.
The shortage is especially acute in Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, which protect U.S. personnel stationed at bases across the Middle East that Iran has continued to target.
According to The Washington Post reporting cited by multiple outlets, U.S. forces fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles, more than 1,000 Patriot and THAAD interceptors combined, and at least 1,300 tactical ballistic missiles during the first month of the conflict.
CNN reported that the U.S. military has depleted nearly 80% of its THAAD interceptor stockpile, levels it described as “dangerously low.” Reuters also reported the Army had exhausted most of its Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) inventories.
The Pentagon has requested $67 billion in emergency funding from Congress this fiscal year.
An analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found the U.S. Patriot interceptor inventory had fallen by roughly 55% from pre-conflict levels in its initial assessment. Updated figures from late July put the decline at about 65% after accounting for continued fighting with Iran.
Trump’s public response
Trump addressed the reports on Truth Social, rejecting claims of a critical shortage.
He wrote that the United States has “massive amounts of ‘munitions,” especially of certain types,” and said that “large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the US as needed,” adding that “defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history.”
In the same post, Trump vowed to pursue those responsible for the reporting, calling the disclosures “treasonous statements.”
He wrote, “The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long-term jail sentences will be sought!”
The United States has signed new production agreements, including contracts with Lockheed Martin to produce additional Patriot missiles. However, defense analysts say replenishing stockpiles could take months or even years, with some systems requiring up to two years to manufacture.