RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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President Trump is taking issue with recent reports of significant U.S. munitions shortages due to\u00a0the war with Iran.In a post on his Truth Social platform early Thursday, Mr. Trump said, "The U.S. has massive amounts of \u0027munitions,\u0027 especially of certain types. Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country\u0027s history. The \u0027leakers\u0027 of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. Long term jail sentences will be sought!"CBS News reported Tuesday that the U.S. has used nearly all of its global stockpile of long-range precision missiles during the war, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter.The sources said the U.S. has used virtually all of its Army Tactical Missile Systems, known as ATACMS, and Precision Strike Missiles. Reuters\u00a0was first to report that the U.S. had used "virtually all" of its long-range precision missiles during Operation Epic Fury.\u00a0CBS News previously reported\u00a0that the U.S. has dwindling stockpiles of defensive interceptors and long-range missiles, which has become a pressure point within the administration, and that the U.S. cannot sustain the rate at which it expended precision munitions early in the war with Iran.\u00a0U.S. officials said there are limited inventories of the ATACMS and Precision Strike Missiles, and that the most pressing concern involves the number of Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, which have been used faster than the industry can replace them.\u00a0A\u00a0July report\u00a0from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated that before the war began, the U.S. had 2,330 Patriots, and at the end of July, was down to between 759 and 827 of them. The report also estimated that before the war, the U.S. had 452 THAAD interceptors, and as of July 27, was down to between 234 and 278. Another recent\u00a0CSIS report\u00a0estimates it could take until at least mid-2029 to return to pre-war inventory levels for both.Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement to CBS News that "America\u0027s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President\u0027s choosing. We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests."Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has previously dismissed concerns about the U.S. stockpile."That is a manufactured story that the media wants to peddle and ultimately our stockpiles are great, and they\u0027re only getting stronger,"\u00a0Hegseth said\u00a0on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on June 14.Late Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied a Washington Post report saying Mr. Trump and Hegseth had a heated exchange\u00a0about munitions shortages on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday.
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