Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tore into CNN on Tuesday after the network aired a report claiming U.S. military stockpiles had fallen to “dangerously low” levels during the war with Iran.
Hegseth called out a CNN chyron that said U.S. forces had used nearly 80% of key missile interceptors and that top commanders were warning of depleted stockpiles.
The banner, discussed on air by CNN’s Kasie Hunt, read, “Sources: U.S. has used nearly 80% of key missile interceptors in Iran war, top commanders warn stockpiles ‘dangerously low.’”
Hegseth fired back on X, accusing the network of spreading false information about American readiness.
“That banner is NOT TRUE,” wrote Hegseth. “Shame on you. We don’t hate the Fake News media enough.”
CNN’s written report, authored by Zachary Cohen, Jim Sciutto and Haley Britzky, cited multiple sources familiar with Pentagon assessments who said the U.S. has burned through major portions of key air-defense inventories during the Iran conflict.
The report said the military has used nearly 80% of its THAAD interceptors and about half of its Patriot missiles.
The sources also said senior military leaders have warned the Trump administration that stockpiles are “dangerously low.”
The report landed as the administration is trying to project strength abroad while reassuring Americans that the military still has what it needs to carry out President Donald Trump’s objectives.
CNN said the concerns were raised before Trump announced Saturday that he planned “to hold off any attack” because “the perimeters of a deal ha[ve] been agreed to.”
At the same time, Trump warned that America remained ready to strike if needed.
“The U.S.A. is locked and loaded and ready to go against the Islamic Republic of Iran, at levels of Military Terror, Strength, and Power not seen since World War II.”
Reuters separately reported Tuesday that the U.S. Army has used “virtually all” of its Army Tactical Missile Systems and Precision Strike Missiles during the five-month war with Iran.
Those weapons, known as ATACMS and PrSM, are long-range precision missiles used to hit targets from a safer distance.
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
Reuters said the missiles cost more than $1 million each and that sources familiar with the data raised concerns about future readiness.
The White House pushed back on the stockpile concerns in statements to both Reuters and CNN.
Trump told Reuters the U.S. has “far more munitions than anyone in the world” and “far more than we need.”
They gave a similar statement to CNN, with White House spokesperson Anna Kelly telling the network that the U.S. military “has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump’s strategic goals and beyond.”
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The public fight highlights a familiar divide between the Trump administration and major media outlets over military reporting.
CNN framed the story as a warning about depleted stockpiles and commanders’ concerns behind the scenes.
Hegseth treated the on-air headline as another example of the press undermining confidence in the U.S. military while American forces remain deployed in a live conflict.
The stockpile debate comes as Trump’s team has pressed defense contractors to ramp up production and refill key munitions after years of strain from Ukraine, the Middle East and now the Iran war.
Reuters reported last week that the Army awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth up to $58.6 billion to produce Patriot interceptor missiles as conflicts in Iran and Ukraine pressure U.S. weapons supplies.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell also rejected the idea that the military lacks what it needs.
“America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing.
Lockheed Martin, which makes ATACMS, PrSM and the THAAD system, did not immediately respond to Reuters’ questions about Trump’s statement or supply levels.
Raytheon, which makes Tomahawk missiles and Patriot interceptors, also did not immediately respond.
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