Trump denies US munitions shortage and said he’d seek to jail ‘leakers’

The administration has sought to assure Americans that US missile stockpiles remain robust, even after the military used vast quantities of difficult-to-manufacture weapons during the combat operation known as Operation Epic Fury and the tit-for-tat strikes since.

CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, reported the US has used much of its global stockpile of long-range precision missiles during the war, citing two unnamed sources with direct knowledge of the subject.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday evening that Trump had confronted Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth last week over a possible weapons shortfall, also citing unnamed sources. The BBC has not confirmed the report.

“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down,” Trump said in the post on Truth Social. “Long term jail sentences will be sought!”

Precise information on US missile stocks remains classified. Since becoming secretary, Hegseth has sought to put in place strict controls limiting information reporters can gather from the Pentagon, as well.

Using publicly available data, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a national security think tank, estimated that by the end of July, the US had between 759 and 827 Patriot missiles left, down from 2,330 before the conflict began.

It also estimates the US has now used around 60% of terminal high altitude area defense (THAAD) missiles, which are deployed to intercept strikes, Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and senior adviser at CSIS, said on Wednesday.

The US is also facing demand for its weapons beyond the conflict with Iran.

It has given Ukraine significant supplies of Patriot missiles since Russia invaded in 2022, but as US stocks shrink Cancian expects the Pentagon to hold onto them. At a cabinet meeting on Friday, Trump told reporters that granting Ukraine’s recent request for additional Patriot missiles would be a “big step”, but the two countries were “still talking about” it.

Many modern weapons have long funding, order, production, and delivery timelines, making it hard to swiftly replace munitions once they are used.

The administration has consistently stated the US has enough in its stockpile.

Trump told the Wall Street Journal last month: “We have far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need.”

Hegseth, meanwhile, called reports of a stockpile shortage a “manufactured story” on a 14 June appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation.

But the administration has also said it is ramping up production, with Hegseth saying the US was working quickly to manufacture more weapons.

Last month, he asked the US Senate for emergency funds totalling $87bn (£68bn) to pay service members and “rapidly replenish equipment and munitions.”