Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth engaged in a tense exchange with CBS host Margaret Brennan on Sunday regarding the current state of U.S. military munitions stockpiles. Hegseth pushed back against claims of a supply crisis, calling it a media-driven narrative while defending the administration’s efforts to rebuild the nation’s arsenal.

Rebuilding the Arsenal

The discussion began when Brennan asked Hegseth about requests made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who recently appeared on the program asking for the ability to allow friendly governments to produce Patriot interceptors. Hegseth dismissed concerns about low supplies and stated that the United States is open to the idea.

“Nobody makes better and more munitions than the United States of America, and we are open to co-production wherever we can,” Hegseth said. He added that the administration is “supercharging our arsenal of freedom” by cutting through Pentagon bureaucracy to force the industry to move faster. “So our stockpiles are strong, and it will only get stronger in the future.”

Brennan pushed back, stating there is a current crisis in private industry regarding the stockpiles. Hegseth quickly interjected, calling it a “manufactured story that the media wants to peddle!” Brennan then pointed to Hegseth’s own previous statements, noting he testified under oath before Congress on May 1 that rebuilding the U.S. military stockpiles could take “months and years” depending on the specific weapon system.

He went on to state that the Biden administration gave away hundreds of billions to Ukraine, leaving President Donald Trump to replace the depleted supplies. Hegseth noted that the president has refilled them “in real time,” adding that the stockpiles are great and getting stronger “because of the way this president has.”

Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.