Hegseth’s latest attack on Kelly underlines alarm over US weapons stockpiles

 https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5873093-kelly-hegseth-feud-weapons-stockpiles-iran/

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s latest attack against Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is underscoring the alarm over the state of the U.S. military’s weapons stockpiles more than two months into the war with Iran. 

Hegseth accused Kelly, a Navy veteran and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), of divulging classified information regarding key U.S. munitions during his appearance on a Sunday news show, putting a spotlight not only on his ongoing feud with the Arizona Republican but also on the high-usage rate of premier munitions against Tehran and the time it will take to replenish them. 

Rachel E. VanLandingham, a national security law expert and former Air Force active duty judge advocate who has been critical of Hegseth’s leadership of the Pentagon, said Hegseth’s threat is part of an “ongoing campaign” against Kelly and the Pentagon’s potential case against the senator has “no legal leg to stand on.” 

Experts, former defense officials and lawmakers have warned that the war with Iran has depleted the U.S.’s global supply of munitions, with the Pentagon having to pull weapons from other regions to ensure there’s an ample stash in the Middle East.