Trump Vows to Hunt Leakers After Reports of Depleted Ammunition Stockpiles

U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to hunt down "leakers" following a string of media reports detailing dangerously depleted ammunition stockpiles in the context of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran.

While there have been earlier reports of ammunition shortages since the conflict began on February 28, the latest reports paint a more severe picture.

Reuters and CBS News reported that the U.S. military has nearly exhausted its entire inventory of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). Experts suggest this could force the U.S. to rely more heavily on short-range and more hazardous air attacks if the conflict escalates again.

A CNN report on low levels of Patriot and THAAD interceptor missiles has also raised greater concern, with experts noting there is no viable short-term replacement for these defensive missiles. Restoring pre-war stockpiles is expected to take years.

However, on August 7, Trump again rejected any suggestion that the U.S. faces a strategic disadvantage in its weapons stockpiles after five months of war.

"The United States has a massive amount of ammunition, especially certain types," Trump wrote on Truth Social. He added that "a huge amount is being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed" and that defense contractors are "building the largest number of plants and factories in the country's history."

"The leakers of these treasonous statements are being hunted down. They will face long prison sentences!" Trump warned.

The U.S. president did not provide further details about these statements, though experts warn that even with additional funding, it would take at least three years to restore Patriot and THAAD interceptor inventories to pre-war levels.

Only Japan and Germany are currently licensed to produce Patriot interceptors. No other country produces THAAD interceptors.

The CNN report, published on August 5, noted that the U.S. military has used 80% of its pre-war THAAD interceptors and about half of its Patriot missiles. Sources described the levels as "dangerously low." U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the report "false."

Meanwhile, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) calculated on July 27 that the U.S. military has just over one-third of its Patriot interceptors and about half of its THAAD missiles.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on August 6, retired U.S. Marine Colonel Mark Cancian, one of the authors of the analysis, said the current interceptor levels have weakened U.S. deterrence against military powers like China.

The shortage of interceptors is also believed to make the military more cautious in intercepting missiles, increasing the risk of miscalculation, Cancian noted. The deaths of three U.S. soldiers in an Iranian attack on a military base in Jordan on July 17 have heightened these concerns.

"We don't have a lot left, and there's no good substitute," Cancian said of interceptors. "If we run out of Patriots, missiles will get through."

Despite the latest statements, the Washington Post reported on August 7 that Trump confronted Secretary Hegseth during a cabinet meeting at Camp David last week, accusing the Pentagon chief of misleading him about the ammunition shortages. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt dismissed the report as "100% fake news."