By Tara Copp, Natalie Allison and Noah Robertson
President Donald Trump’s frustration over the Iran war boiled over at Camp David last week, where he demanded answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on why he had apparently been misled on extreme munitions shortages that now threaten to limit military options with Iran, two people familiar with the exchange told The Washington Post.
The encounter took place on the sidelines of his Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday where Trump vented at Hegseth that he thought the munitions issue “had been fixed,” according to both people familiar with the conversation, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation.
The shortages, particularly in long-range guided missiles and air-defense interceptors, have been part of the reason Trump has pulled back from launching additional massive strikes against Iran in recent days, one of the sources said.
Trump said Monday that he had ordered and subsequently called off “the biggest attack since World War II,” pending claims of new negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz.
More at the link (paywalled)
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
Hegseth, where are the missiles?
[ColonelCassad] American media are claiming that Trump reprimanded the Pentagon leadership for "deceiving him" about the actual stockpiles of air defense and missile defense missiles, as well as long-range precision-guided munitions.
As the war has continued, the stockpiles have clearly depleted and are clearly not as large as Trump would have liked. This makes it increasingly difficult for him to engage in prolonged systemic escalation, as it threatens to consume even more resources without guaranteeing any specific outcome. Therefore, the blame game is being cast.
Iran is aware of the US missile situation and continues to take a very tough stance. Trump is threatening to jail those who write in the media that the US is running low on missiles. He claims there is no shortage.
In fact, of course there is, since the missile stockpile volumes for early 2026 are roughly known. Just as the 2026 consumption rate is roughly known, so are current production volumes.
Trump's hysteria is understandable; such topics expose the sheer adventurism of the current course of aggression against Iran. Not only is this criminal aggression, but it's also poorly prepared, a failure that failed to achieve any of its strategic goals.
So, all that's left is to puff out the air and talk about "victory over Iran" and that there are enough missiles.
Noting that Iran has been building up its stockpile/planning for 40+ years.
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Pentagon expands Patriot, THAAD production amid shortage concerns
By LARA KORTE
[STARS AND STRIPES] The Defense Department on Monday announced agreements to sharply expand production for two key missile interceptors as part of an effort to replenish air defense stockpiles strained by the war with Iran.
The deals with Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin are expected to allow production of the Patriot and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, to triple and quadruple, respectively, the department said.
“Building the arsenal of freedom requires robust, dynamic supply chains at every level of the industrial base,” Michael Duffey, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said in the statement.
The Patriot and THAAD systems are the marquee air defense systems for the U.S. military and have been used to shoot down thousands of Iranian missiles and drones over the past five months.
The Pentagon agreements specifically seek to increase production for certain parts of the missiles. For Patriot interceptors, the framework will create a second source for solid rocket motors and increase production of ignition safety devices.