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Waltz Denies U.S. Interceptor Shortage, Urges Legal Action Against Leakers

The denial comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked Congress for $67 billion to accelerate munitions production so stockpiles can be rebuilt over months to years.

Overview

  • On Sunday U.N. Ambassador Mike Waltz said the U.S. military “has everything that it needs” and said people who leaked reports of shortages “deserve to be in jail.”
  • Multiple media reports and anonymous Pentagon sources have reported that interceptor ammunition is dangerously low and that commanders may be allowing some Iranian strikes through to conserve weapons.
  • Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently requested a $67 billion supplemental to expand production and speed deliveries, and told lawmakers rebuilding stockpiles could take months to years.
  • Gulf U.S. allies depend on American air-defense interceptors, so U.S. resupply must also replenish allied inventories after hundreds of Iranian missiles and thousands of drones were launched this year.
  • The administration has opened leak investigations and publicly blamed past arms transfers and strikes for strained inventories, a dispute that could shape the supplemental fight and scrutiny of operational choices.