On August 4 (Washington time), US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth denied information that the reserves of US military-grade ammunition and missiles had declined to a worrying level after the conflict with Iran.
On social network X, Mr. Hegseth briefly affirmed: "That information is not true".
Previously, information emerged that the amount of important ammunition in the US Department of War's reserves had decreased sharply, causing military circles to worry about the ability to maintain combat capability if Washington continues to participate in large-scale military operations.
According to these sources, the main reason for the decline is the conflict between the US and Iran.
The US is said to have used nearly 80% of the interceptor missiles of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system compared to the reserves before the conflict occurred. In addition, about half of the Patriot missile arsenal has also been used.
THAAD and Patriot are two strategic air defense systems that play an important role in the missile defense network of the US and its allies. THAAD specializes in intercepting ballistic missiles at the final stage of flight path, while Patriot is widely deployed to deal with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and aircraft.
Information about the missile stockpile situation appeared in the context that the US still maintains a military presence in the Middle East and continues to closely monitor security developments in the region.
Previously, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff - Mr. Dan Caine - was said to have reported to President Donald Trump that the current missile stockpile situation could limit the US's ability to continue expanding military operations against Iran.
However, Mr. Trump also once denied information that the US's failure to resume large-scale military operations against Iran stemmed from a shortage of ammunition or air defense missiles.
To date, the US Department of War has not released official figures on the amount of ammunition and missiles remaining in the stockpile. Meanwhile, a statement by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth shows that the Pentagon still affirms that the US military is capable of maintaining combat readiness, despite information about the risk of depletion of its arsenal.
