Trump Responds to Reports About Dwindling U.S. Weapons Stockpiles, Promises 'Long Term Jail Sentences'
President Donald Trump bristled at reports that the war in Iran has left stockpiles of crucial weapons depleted.
Moreover, the president threatened “long term jail sentences” for those who allegedly leaked that information to the press.
Trump made that threat early Thursday on social media platform Truth Social.
“The U.S. has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types,” the president wrote. “Additionally, large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed. Defense companies are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history.”
Then came the threat.
“The ‘leakers’ of these treasonous statements are being hunted down,” he added. “Long term jail sentences will be sought! President DJT.”
Readers may view the president’s post here.
According to Reuters, three anonymous sources “familiar with the data” have said that the U.S. Army has severely depleted its stockpile of surface-to-surface weapons, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems and Precision Strike Missiles, during the war with Iran.
In fact, two of the sources claimed that the Army has expended “virtually all” of these weapons.
At more than $1 million each, these long-range missiles will prove costly to replace. But they more than justify the cost by allowing American warfighters to launch strikes from a safe distance.
As the supply of these weapons dwindles, the war’s tacticians must turn to more dangerous manned bombing missions.
In a statement, Trump disputed the three anonymous sources, insisting that the U.S. had “far more munitions than anyone in the world” and “far more than we need.”
“Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels,” Trump said.
Likewise, the Pentagon expressed no concerns about munitions scarcity.
“America’s military is the most powerful in the world and has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the President’s choosing,” Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said. “We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests.”
Meanwhile, Fox News reported that depleted munitions have some analysts worried about future conflicts.
For instance, Mark Cancian, a retired U.S. Marines colonel and senior advisor with the Center for Strategic and International Studies Defense and Security Department, noted that the dwindling stockpiles, in addition to dictating the pace of attacks in the present conflict, could have a negative impact in the Far East as well.
“The depletion of munitions was a major topic and a major reason for the suspension of air attacks,” Cancian said. “Our inventories were getting way below what the war planners wanted. That might encourage China to do something.”
The situation has lawmakers, including Democrats, talking about reinvesting heavily in America’s defense capabilities.
“Look, I have real concerns about our defense industrial base, and God forbid we find ourselves in a lengthy, serious war in our ability to produce what we need,” Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania said. “I actually think it’s a place where you can get some cooperation across the parties who want to see us re-industrialize.”
Reports of diminished weapons stockpiles came as polling on the Iran conflict remained largely steady.
According to pollster Nate Silver’s aggregate, the public opposes the war by approximately 57 percent to 37 percent. That 20-point margin has held for the last two months.
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