Sen.Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday for running the Pentagon without a clear plan.He said the way Hegseth has handled the war with Iran is causing problems, like running out of missiles and weakening the military.Kelly made these comments after reports showed that even President Trump had raised concerns about a shortage of weapons.The same issue was reported by Reuters, based on information from people who knew about the stockpile data.
Kelly is a retired Navy pilot and former astronaut who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
He posted on X on August 7, 2026, saying that putting someone without the right skills in charge of the Department of Defense leads to chaos.He pointed out that Hegseth has bombed 13,000 targets just for show, without a plan or a clear goal.He warned that the consequences are real, making the military less ready and putting Americans at more risk.
Kelly’s post was in response to a Washington Post report that said Trump was frustrated with Hegseth during a meeting at Camp David.
Trump had pressed Hegseth about why he had been misled about the shortage of weapons, which is limiting U.S.options against Iran.Two people who were part of the conversation told the Post about the confrontation.
The Camp David reports followed a Reuters article published August 4, which found that the U.S.
Army has used almost all of its stockpile of certain missiles, like ATACMS and PrSM.These are expensive, precision-guided weapons that are important for hitting targets from a safe distance.Reuters also warned that the shortage could hurt the Pentagon’s ability to deter other countries like Russia and China if the U.S.keeps using up its weapons in the Middle East.However, a fourth source told Reuters that the military could get more weapons from stockpiles around the world.The White House, including Trump, said the U.S.has more weapons than any other country and that defense companies are producing more than ever.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell also defended the situation, saying the U.S.
military is the strongest in the world and has everything it needs for any mission.He argued that the military has been successful in multiple operations and has a strong arsenal to protect the country.
Kelly’s comments are part of a longer pattern of public disagreements with Hegseth over how the Iran war is being handled.
This started in February when Trump launched joint strikes with Israel, which he thought would be quick, but the war has now lasted about five months, causing stress on both offensive and defensive weapons.During an April hearing, Kelly questioned Hegseth about the number of targets hit and the additional funding requested, even though some commanders worried about running out of weapons in a future conflict with China.Kelly also asked Hegseth to clarify a statement he had made earlier, but Hegseth only said the military fights to win and follows the law.
Kelly brought up the issue again in an August 2 interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” He said the military had hit over 14,000 targets, putting a lot of pressure on the supply of weapons.
He said the main problem started from the beginning of the war, when there was no clear strategy, making it hard to know what to do next.He believed Hegseth was trying to set a record for the number of targets hit.
The Pentagon has called the reports about its weapons situation as media speculation and has not commented much on its operational capabilities, a stance it continued after the CBS interview.
The dispute has also turned personal and legal.
In May, Hegseth accused Kelly of leaking classified information during the CBS interview and called for a new investigation.He criticized Kelly on X for “blabbing” about a classified briefing.Kelly denied the accusation, saying the information had already been discussed in an open hearing, and he called for accountability, pointing out that after 15,000 strikes, the U.S.still had 13 American deaths, the Strait of Hormuz closed, and higher gas prices in Arizona.
This conflict is part of a larger issue that started in late 2025 and early 2026, when Hegseth tried to punish Kelly for participating in a video urging soldiers not to follow illegal orders.
A federal judge stopped the Pentagon from taking action, saying it violated free speech.Hegseth has appealed the decision.Kelly has described the Pentagon’s actions as an attempt to intimidate Congress members, calling it the “playbook of authoritarianism” to silence dissent.
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