Hegseth Rejects Patriot Shortage Claims as CSIS Says Iran War Used Over 1,060 Interceptors
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 14
Hegseth Rejects Patriot Shortage Claims as CSIS Says Iran War Used Over 1,060 Interceptors
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 14
Summary
On CBS' "Face the Nation," Pete Hegseth dismissed concerns that U.S. weapons reserves are strained, calling stockpiles "great" and saying production is rising as Europe funds Ukraine arms purchases.
Margaret Brennan pressed him with his own congressional testimony that some munitions could take months or years to replace and asked whether Ukraine should be allowed to produce Patriot interceptors; Hegseth did not directly answer.
An April CSIS report estimated the Iran campaign consumed more than 850 Tomahawks, over 1,000 JASSMs and roughly 1,060 to 1,430 Patriot interceptors—more than half the prewar U.S. Patriot inventory.
Those estimates, drawn from budget documents and reported battlefield use because exact stockpiles are classified, reinforced warnings that U.S. precision-munition reserves were already thin for a potential conflict with China.