Pentagon shoots down claims of critical US missile shortage

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has denied reports that the country's armed forces are running dangerously low on key munitions.

“That banner is NOT TRUE, CNN. Shame on you. We don’t hate the Fake News media enough,” Hegseth wrote on X on August 4, responding to a CNN report.

That banner is NOT TRUE, @CNN. Shame on you.

We don’t hate the Fake News media enough. pic.twitter.com/QCwEoykQZR

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) August 4, 2026

Earlier the same day, CNN, citing sources, said the Pentagon's stockpiles of critical munitions had fallen to dangerously low levels, with senior US military commanders reportedly deeply concerned about the state of the country's arsenals.

According to the outlet, the conflict with Iran has been the primary factor behind the depletion of US air defence inventories. The broadcaster's sources claimed that the United States has used nearly 80% of its THAAD interceptor missile stockpile compared with pre-war levels, as well as about half of its Patriot missile inventory.

By Jeyhun Aghazada