The confrontation between Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, and Arizona's Democratic Senator, Mark Kelly, escalated this weekend after the Pentagon chief ordered to open a second investigation against the legislator for allegedly disseminating classified information related to the US military arsenal and the war against Iran.

The new dispute occurred after Kelly appeared on CBS's “Face the Nation” program, where he expressed concern over the depletion of the stockpiles of advanced weapons used by the United States during the military campaign against Iran. The senator stated that the intensive use of Tomahawk missiles, Patriot interceptors and other strategic systems could affect the country's military capacity in the face of a possible conflict with China.

Hegseth reacted quickly via social media, accusing Kelly of speaking publicly about a classified briefing received at the Pentagon.

“Captain Mark Kelly is back on track. Now he's talking on television about a classified Pentagon briefing. "Did you violate your oath...again?" wrote the official, who also announced that the lawyers from the Defense Department will review the case.

Kelly responded almost immediately and denied having revealed classified information. The senator maintained that the data mentioned on television came from a public hearing of the Service Committee. Armed meeting of the Senate held days before, in which Hegseth himself acknowledged that it could take “years” before the United States fully recovers its inventories of advanced weapons.

“The secretary said that publicly before the Senate. It is not classified information,” responded Kelly, who also questioned the military and strategic cost of the war promoted by the Donald Trump administration.

Political and military tensions increase in Washington

The new confrontation deepens an already-deteriorated relationship between both officials. Kelly, former Navy fighter pilot and former astronaut uta of NASA, has been one of Hegseth's more consistent critics since the former Fox News commentator took control of the Pentagon.

For months, the senator has questioned the experience and preparation of the Secretary of Defense to lead the U.S. Armed Forces, especially amid the expanding conflict in the Middle East.

For their part, Hegseth and close allies of Trump have accused Kelly of promoting insubordination within the military. The controversy began last November, when Kel ly and other democratic legislators participated in a video targeted to US military reminding them that troops are not obliged to obey illegal orders.

Trump then qualified that message as “seditious”, while conservative sectors demanded sanctions against the Arizona senator. The Pentagon opened post subsequently an administrative investigation that included threats to reduce Kelly's retired military rank and affect his pension as a Navy captain.

Currently, that case continues in federal courts after Kelly sued the Department of Defense for considering that the measures represent political and unconstitutional retaliation.

Worries about depletion of weapons after war with Iran

Kelly's statements also reignited the debate about the impact that the war with Iran has had on U.S. strategic reserves.

During a public hearing held on 30 April, the senator warned that the Pentagon has used massive quantities of Patriot missiles and other advanced munitions during bombing and defensive operations in the Middle East.

Kelly noted that rebuilding those arsenals will take time due to the limited industrial production capacity of the United States. Hegseth agreed. nthen the replacement would take years, although he assured that the Trump administration is already working on expanding factories and accelerating military manufacturing.

Recent reports from the Center for Strategic and International Studies and reports published by US media have warned about the significant reduction of precision missiles, Patriot interceptors and THAAD systems after months of military operations against Iran.

The dispute occurs in a delicate moment for the Democratic Party, where Kelly begins to be mentioned as a possible presidential figure heading to the elections ions of 2028, as the White House toughens its national security talk and keeps investigations open against critics of Trump's military strategy.