Anger over depleted US weapon inventories broke into the open at Camp David, where President Donald Trump pressed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on why he had been kept in the dark regarding severe missile deficits that are now restricting military maneuvers against Iran, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing two individuals familiar with the matter.
According to the report, the tense interaction occurred on the sidelines of a Friday Cabinet meeting. Trump reportedly expressed sharp irritation, indicating he assumed the supply deficit “had been fixed", according to sources who spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity.
A drain on long-range precision weaponry and anti-air defense interceptors contributed to Trump’s decision to pause major new bombardments against Iranian positions, the newspaper asserted. Trump recently noted that he had prepared but subsequently suspended “the biggest attack since World War II" citing potential diplomatic talks surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
Although Washington has inked preliminary manufacturing deals for key systems such as Patriot air defense platforms, newly ordered hardware requires up to two years to produce, leaving no immediate remedy for current supply gaps.
During the initial month of hostilities alone, The Post said, American forces launched in excess of 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles along with more than 1,000 Patriot and THAAD interceptors. Additionally, US units expended over 1,300 Army tactical ballistic missiles (ATACMS). The ATACMS supply - also sought by Ukraine - has been so severely drawn down that reserves are effectively exhausted.
When challenged by the President at Camp David over the diminished inventory, Hegseth reportedly defended his performance and shifted responsibility to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg, asserting Feinberg failed to keep the White House properly updated.
The White House pushed back firmly against accounts of the disagreement.
“This is 100% fake news. Literally never happened. And President Trump has the utmost confidence in Secretary Hegseth," stated White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell similarly dismissed reports of internal discord, telling The Washington Post, “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."