U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has accused the media of putting the lives of American service members at risk by publishing what he described as inaccurate information about U.S. weapons and ammunition stockpiles.
Speaking to military personnel at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, Hegseth said that publishing inaccurate information about ammunition supplies poses a direct threat to U.S. forces.
The secretary said the United States had followed a strategy for roughly 40 years that focused on developing highly advanced and expensive weapons, prioritizing quality over quantity. He argued that the country now needs to combine technological superiority with sufficient numbers of weapons and ammunition.
Hegseth also accused the media of biased coverage of U.S. military activities, saying that some reports about the armed forces amounted, in his view, to national and even “treasonous” conduct.
Media reports had previously raised concerns about the depletion of a significant portion of U.S. missile and weapons stockpiles during the conflict with Iran, citing the extensive use of Tomahawk missiles and Patriot air-defense interceptors.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States was working to rebuild its weapons stockpiles and replenish supplies at a faster rate than ever before.
