The U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denies that the U.S. military faces a munitions shortage

United States – U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth denied on Sunday that the U.S. military is facing a munitions shortage, calling it a "fabricated story" by the media. When asked during an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation" program whether there was a munitions crisis, Hegseth rejected the claim.

"This is a fabricated story the media wants to spread," Hegseth said. "Our munitions reserves are ample and growing stronger all the time. Our stockpiles are greater than ever before. The Biden administration provided tens of billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine, so President Trump had to replenish our inventory—and he has done so. We are also replenishing in real time."

At a congressional hearing in April, Hegseth testified that replenishing stocks could take "months or even years," but he now describes that timeframe as "rapid."

Hegseth said on Sunday that when testifying, he was "speculating that certain munitions would take longer to replenish than others."

Last month, the Pentagon stated that the cost of war with Iran has risen to nearly $29 billion.

U.S. Democrats and other war critics have questioned the Pentagon’s calculations, arguing that the actual cost—including damage inflicted by Iran—could be significantly higher.

U.S. Democratic Senator Mark Kelly previously warned that inventories of Tomahawk missiles, Patriot interceptors, and other advanced weapons have been severely depleted and may take years to rebuild.

Hegseth responded that these concerns were "foolishly and unproductively exaggerated."

Several hours before Hegseth denied the U.S. military’s alleged munitions shortage, the United States and Iran announced a deal ending all conflicts across the Middle East, including in Lebanon, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Last month, acting U.S. Navy Secretary Sean O’Keefe suspended arms sales to Taiwan citing ongoing conflict, heightening concerns that warfare in the Middle East could strain U.S. military inventories.

Source: rfi

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1868081250641932/

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