"The US possesses enormous quantities of ammunition, especially of certain types. In addition, large quantities are being manufactured and shipped to the US as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in the history of our country," Trump said on his network, Truth Social.
His message comes after The Washington Post reported, citing officials present at a meeting last Friday, that Trump had expressed frustration at not having been informed about a worrying shortage of ammunition in the Middle East, which had led to a disagreement between the president and his Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth.
"We are looking for those responsible for leaking these treasonous statements. Long prison sentences will be requested!", indicated the president in his publication.
According to the newspaper, the episode, denied the day before by the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, would have occurred on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting, when Trump reproached Hegseth for believing that the ammunition supply problem "was already resolved."
According to one of the cited sources, the shortage, especially of long-range guided missiles and interceptors for air defense systems, was one of the factors that led the president to desist from launching new massive attacks against Iran in recent days.
The Pentagon and major US defense manufacturers have accelerated plans to expand production of precision weapons: companies such as Lockheed Martin and RTX (formerly Raytheon) are working to increase production of Patriot missiles, THAAD, Tomahawk and other systems.
However, officials and analysts warn that the significant increase in industrial capacity will take months or even years to translate into higher inventories.
The Pentagon is seeking at least an additional $67 billion to replenish arsenals and accelerate weapons production, while warning about the impact that the conflict could have on the United States' military preparation against other possible scenarios, such as China and Russia. EFE
