Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg hastily gathered top military and defense acquisition officials for an urgent Friday night meeting to address a critical shortfall of U.S. weaponry, according to NBC News sources. The crisis session followed an angry phone call from President Trump to Feinberg after Trump discussed the Iran war munitions crisis with advisers at Camp David.
Trump confronted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at Camp David on Friday, saying he believed the munitions issue “had been fixed” and expressing that he felt misled about the extent of the shortage, according to reporting from the Jerusalem Post. Hegseth subsequently shifted blame for the weapons shortfalls and the lack of communication about them to his deputy, Feinberg, according to Yahoo News sources.
The munitions shortage has become acute after the U.S.-Iran war began on February 28, 2026. In the first month of the conflict alone, the U.S. military fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles, over 1,000 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAD) missiles, and used at least 1,300 tactical ballistic missiles, according to the Washington Post reporting cited by the Jerusalem Post. The Army has since used up “virtually all” of its stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles, according to Reuters reporting.
The shortage extends beyond immediate military needs. The Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMs) stockpile, a short-range missile also in demand by Ukraine, has been drained to near-zero levels, the Jerusalem Post reported. Between February and July, the U.S. had consumed around 65% of its Patriot interceptors, leaving the country unwilling to supply Ukraine with the much-needed defense system.
Feinberg, a billionaire investor and founder of private equity firm Cerberus, was confirmed as Deputy Secretary of Defense by the Senate on March 14, 2025, by a vote of 59-40 and sworn in on March 17, 2025. Since taking office, he has played a central role in Pentagon procurement decisions and defense production strategy, including efforts to accelerate weapons manufacturing to replenish depleted stocks.
The White House disputed the reports of the Camp David confrontation. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated on X/Twitter that “This literally never happened” and characterized the story as “B.S.” that was “shopped to many outlets by someone clearly out to disparage the Secretary.” She added that Trump “loves the Secretary and thinks he’s doing a tremendous job.”
Trump himself issued a statement through the White House saying the U.S. had “far more munitions than anyone in the world” and “far more than we need.” He also noted that “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,” according to Reuters reporting.
The munitions shortage has broader geopolitical implications. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in July that the shortage of interceptor missiles “encourages Russia to launch such attacks that take human lives,” following a deadly Russian attack on Kyiv. The Pentagon’s procurement challenges reflect broader structural issues in the U.S. defense industrial base, which has struggled to scale production rapidly enough to meet wartime demand.
The U.S. European Command has also warned of force shortages affecting regional security commitments. Trump administration officials have invoked the Defense Production Act to try to accelerate weapons manufacturing, and Feinberg has held multiple meetings with defense contractors to press for faster production timelines.
Sources
- NBC News — Pentagon holds crisis meeting on weapons shortfall after angry Trump call, citing four sources with knowledge of the meeting
- Jerusalem Post — Donald Trump unaware of US munitions shortage, prompting Camp David clash with Hegseth; reporting on Trump’s confrontation with Hegseth and the extent of munitions depletion
- Yahoo News — Trump confronted Hegseth at Camp David over Iran missile depletion concerns; reporting on Hegseth shifting blame to Feinberg
- Reuters — Reporting on U.S. Army munitions depletion and Trump’s statement on munitions supplies
- Washington Post — Reporting on specific munitions expended in the first month of the Iran conflict, cited by Jerusalem Post
- Defense.gov — Senate confirmation of Stephen Feinberg as Deputy Secretary of Defense on March 14, 2025
- Britannica — 2026 Iran war began February 28, 2026
