The White House and Pentagon pushed back Tuesday and Wednesday on a series of reports saying that U.S. supplies of both offensive and defensive weapons have dropped to dangerously low levels after five months of war with Iran.
The reports focused in particular on air defense interceptors, including those used in Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems, known as THAAD. Experts have warned that low supplies of those interceptors could pose a threat to U.S. forces and have knock-on effects for allies in the region and beyond, according to Al Jazeera.
CNN had reported Monday that the U.S. military depleted 80 percent of the THAAD interceptors it had before the war and roughly half of its Patriot interceptors. Sources described those levels as dangerously low.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth responded quickly on social media, posting "not true" and "shame on you" on X following the CNN report.
President Trump also disputed the characterization in a statement provided to Al Jazeera. "We have far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need, despite the fact that an unprecedented amount was given away by Crooked Joe Biden and the Biden Administration to Ukraine and Europe at no cost, in one of many of their extremely dumb moves," Trump said. He was referencing Patriot interceptor transfers to Ukraine under former President Joe Biden following Russia's invasion.
Trump pointed to new production efforts. "And as we build up, we will start issuing more to our allies in Europe and elsewhere," Trump said. Experts have questioned whether air defense missile supplies could be scaled up quickly enough to address any shortfalls.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell also rejected the idea that U.S. forces were in a difficult position. "America's military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President's choosing," Parnell said. "We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the US military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests."
An analysis published July 27 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, had calculated its own estimate of remaining stockpile levels as of that date. Separate talks between the U.S., Iran, and Oman on reopening the Strait of Hormuz were described as positive, according to Al Jazeera reporting this week.
