Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ)voiced concernsSunday about the state of US weapons stockpiles following the recent conflict involving Iran, describing the extent of depleted munitions reserves as “shocking” during an appearance on CBS News’sFace the Nation.
“I think it’s fair to say it’s shocking how deep we have gone into these magazines,”Kelly said, arguing that the United States had exhausted significant amounts of military hardware without a clearly defined strategy.
“Because of that, we’ve expended a lot of munitions, and that means the American people are less safe.”
Kelly also warned that diminished stockpiles could affect America’s ability to respond to future conflicts, including a potential confrontation involving China in the Pacific region.
The comments drew a heated response from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who accused Kelly of publicly discussing information from a classified Pentagon briefing.
“‘Captain’ Mark Kelly strikes again. Now he’s blabbing on TV (falsely & dumbly) about a CLASSIFIED Pentagon briefing he received. Did he violate his oath…again?”Hegseth wrote on social media. He added that Pentagon legal counsel would review the matter.
“Captain” Mark Kelly strikes again.Now he’s blabbing on TV (falsely & dumbly) about a *CLASSIFIED* Pentagon briefing he received.Did he violate his oath…again?@DeptofWarlegal counsel will review.https://t.co/mPBZHxZqpr
Kelly rejected the criticism and argued that his remarks referenced information Hegseth himself had already discussed publicly during congressional testimony.
“We had this conversation in a public hearing a week ago and you said it would take ‘years’ to replenish some of these stockpiles,”Kelly wrote in response.“That’s not classified, it’s a quote from you.”
Kelly also criticized the administration’s handling of the conflict, saying officials had failed to clearly explain the mission’s goals and timeline to the American public.
Source: ZeroHedge News
