Fact Check: Does US have a 'virtually unlimited supply' of munitions as claimed by Trump?
WASHINGTON, DC: Amid the conflict in the Middle East that has escalated following the death of Iran’s supreme leader in a joint operation by the United States and Israel, President Donald Trump has claimed that the US has an unlimited supply of munitions to fight this war. Let us fact-check Trump’s claim and verify what the experts say about it.
Claim: The US has an unlimited supply of munitions to fight wars 'forever'
Taking to his Truth Social account on March 2, Trump claimed the US has a "virtually unlimited supply" of "medium and upper medium grade" munitions.
"Wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully, using just these supplies (which are better than other countries finest arms!)," the commander-in-chief wrote. "At the highest end, we have a good supply, but are not where we want to be."
On March 3, Trump made similar remarks at the White House.
When asked about what specific weapons the POTUS referred to, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, "The US military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and weapons stockpiles to achieve the goals of Operation Epic Fury laid out by President Trump — and beyond."
Fact Check: Donald Trump's claim is misleading
However, Trump’s claim contradicts a report by The Washington Post, in which Gen Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed concern that the US munitions stockpile had been significantly depleted, days before the start of the war in Iran.
Trump pushed back on the Post’s story by saying that Caine did not oppose the war in the Middle East, but did not address anything about the munitions shortage.
Some experts and lawmakers even said that the US needs to replenish certain supplies.
Kelly Grieco, a defense policy expert at a think tank, said the biggest concern is an interceptor missile shortage. If the US used about half its stockpile of interceptor missiles, it could run out in about a month.
Trump claimed that the US has a good supply of munitions at the middle and upper levels, which is true for certain commonly used short and medium-range air-launched missiles, but not true of ground-launched precision missiles.
