Hegseth: "Manufactured story" that U.S. faces munitions stockpile shortage

Washington — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth connected Sunday refuted the thought that the U.S. is facing a situation with its munitions stockpile, contempt testifying earlier this twelvemonth that replenishing the stockpile could instrumentality "months and years."

"That is simply a manufactured communicative that the media wants to pedal and yet our stockpiles are great, and they're lone getting stronger," Hegseth said connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan."

Weeks aft the ceasefire began successful the warfare with Iran, Hegseth testified earlier the Senate Armed Services Committee connected the Pentagon's $1.5 trillion fund request. During the April 30 hearing, Hegseth estimated that it could instrumentality "months and years" to replenish the stockpile arsenic the Iran warfare had stretched connected for months. Hegseth called the timeline "fast," and helium noted that the velocity volition beryllium connected the limb system.

Hegseth said astatine the clip that "we're gathering caller plants successful existent time," suggesting that accumulation velocity would increase, portion citing depleted munitions levels near implicit from the Biden administration. 

Pressed by Margaret Brennan connected Sunday astir his erstwhile comments, Hegseth said "I speculated immoderate munitions instrumentality much clip than others."

He added, "we've got tons of them."

The Defense Department has not disclosed however galore munitions person been utilized truthful acold successful the Iran war. 

During an April Lockheed Martin net call, the defence contractor said it would instrumentality 3 to 4 years to standard up Patriot rocket accumulation from the existent level of 650 per twelvemonth to 2,000 per year. 

"We're gathering much than ever before," Hegseth said. "The Biden medication gave distant hundreds of billions to Ukraine, and truthful President Trump had to refill, and helium has, and we have, successful existent time."

Hegseth's comments came aft helium was asked by Brennan astir Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskyy's petition to nutrient Patriot missiles.

"Nobody makes amended and much munitions than the United States of America, and we are unfastened to co-production wherever we can," Hegseth said. "And due to the fact that of this administration, we're supercharging our arsenal of state — gathering more, gathering faster, opening up the Pentagon, ripping done the Pentagon bureaucracy, to unit manufacture to determination faster."

"Our stockpiles are beardown and volition lone get stronger successful the future," helium added. 

Regional officials told CBS News successful March that Arab states successful the Gulf are moving debased connected interceptors to instrumentality down Iranian-fired missiles. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine pushed backmost connected that appraisal astatine the time, saying that determination were capable "precision munitions for the task astatine hand, some connected the discourtesy and defense."

Hegseth's grounds successful April came successful effect to questioning by Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. Kelly besides appeared connected "Face the Nation" connected Sunday and cited the testimony, saying "of people we person a munitions issue."

"I deliberation it's wide understood that erstwhile you onslaught implicit 10,000 targets from the aerial with cruise missiles and ballistic missiles and bombs from airplanes, you are utilizing a batch of munitions, and we bash not person an endless proviso of these things," Kelly said. "So present we're successful a posture wherever we've got to beryllium incredibly careful."