Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is again pushing for an investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly, this time over the Democrat's public warnings about shrinking US weapons stockpiles. Hegseth on Sunday accused Kelly of disclosing information from a classified Pentagon briefing when the Arizona senator told CBS' Face the Nation he was shocked by how far the US has drawn down munitions like Tomahawks, SM-3 missiles, and Patriot air defense interceptor missiles amid the war with Iran, per Fox News. "Did he violate his oath…again?" Hegseth wrote on social media, adding that Pentagon lawyers will review the matter.
Kelly responded that Hegseth himself admitted "in a public hearing a week ago" that it would take years to replenish US stockpiles. "This war is coming at a serious cost and you and the president still haven't explained to the American people what the goal is," he added. The latest flare-up follows a separate legal fight between the two men. Hegseth previously sought to punish Kelly over a video in which Kelly and other veterans in Congress urged service members to refuse unlawful orders, a move a federal judge blocked as unconstitutional retaliation. A DC appeals court panel last week signaled skepticism toward the administration's attempt to revive the case and associated penalties, which include downgrading Kelly's retired Navy rank.
Kelly, who sits on the Armed Services and Intelligence committees, argues that depleted US missile supplies leave the country more vulnerable in future conflicts, "and that means the American people are less safe." An analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies finds roughly half of the US stockpiles of Precision Strike Missiles, THAAD missiles, and Patriot missiles have been depleted during the war, which closely aligns with classified Pentagon data, per CNN.
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