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President Trump Answers “Dangerously Low” Missile Report With A Warning For The People Behind It


President Trump just gave a blunt answer to the reports claiming America’s missile stockpiles are running “dangerously low.”

He says the United States has “massive amounts” of munitions, more production is coming online—and the people leaking sensitive claims about the arsenal are now being hunted down.

The warning came after a report alleged that the U.S. military had burned through nearly 80 percent of its THAAD missile interceptors compared with prewar levels and roughly half of its Patriot interceptors.

Those are dramatic figures. They are also based on anonymous sources discussing an inventory the Pentagon does not publicly disclose in real time.

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That does not make the broader supply problem imaginary. It means the public should separate independently supported production concerns from precise classified totals that cannot be checked from the outside.

The Associated Press reported last week that a Center for Strategic and International Studies analysis estimated the THAAD inventory had fallen from 452 interceptors before the Iran war to somewhere between 232 and 262 by the April ceasefire. The Pentagon is seeking $67 billion from Congress to replenish the military, including high-end Patriot and THAAD interceptors.

That independent estimate points to a real pressure point. But it is not the same as a confirmed current Pentagon count, and it does not establish that the United States is unable to defend itself.

President Trump pushed back hard.

In a Truth Social statement, he said the country has massive quantities of munitions “especially of certain types,” that more are being manufactured and shipped to the United States as needed, and that defense companies are building a historic number of new plants and factories.

Then came the part that will have Washington talking.

Trump called the disclosures “treasonous,” said investigators are hunting the leakers and warned that long prison sentences will be sought.

The distinction here matters. Publishing criticism of military procurement is not treason.

Disclosing properly classified operational information that could help an enemy is a different matter entirely, and whether a crime occurred depends on what was leaked, who disclosed it and which laws apply.

Still, no serious commander wants adversaries receiving a public inventory sheet for America’s most important defenses. Iran, China and every other hostile government study these reports for clues about what the United States can sustain and where its vulnerabilities may be.

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The industrial-base problem did not begin this week.

The White House laid out a defense-acquisition overhaul last year aimed at cutting delays, speeding contracts and forcing reviews of major weapons programs that fall badly behind schedule or exceed cost targets. Trump said then that it was unacceptable for America ever to run out of ammunition or be unable to produce weapons quickly.

The order directed the Pentagon to favor faster commercial solutions when appropriate, streamline acquisition decisions and examine major programs running more than 15 percent behind schedule or over cost. It also ordered changes to how the acquisition workforce is trained and evaluated.

That is the real test now.

Reassurance is important. So are new factories, larger orders, secure supply chains and enough production capacity to replace expensive interceptors faster than they are expended.

Trump’s answer carries two messages at once: America is not defenseless, and the administration will not tolerate insiders broadcasting sensitive claims about the arsenal.

Now the Pentagon and the defense industry have to prove the first point by delivering hardware at wartime speed.

And anyone who crossed the line from protected speech into an unlawful disclosure should expect the second point to become very real.

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This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up. View the original article here.



 

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