Mike Waltz said Sunday that the U.S. military has everything it needs to keep striking Iran, pushing back hard on reports that weapons stockpiles are running low. Speaking on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Waltz said he had verified the readiness picture “every which way” and dismissed the leaks behind the reports as criminal.
The remarks land as the U.S. is carrying out nearly two weeks of consecutive nightly attacks on Iran, while Donald Trump says the administration is still “talking to them.” That makes the readiness question more than a talking point. It goes to whether the campaign can keep going at the same pace if commanders have to protect the Pentagon’s weapons supply.
Waltz said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth inherited a depleted situation shaped by support for Ukraine, the ongoing fight with the Houthis and what he described as a depleted military under the Biden administration. He said the Trump administration is now shifting toward cheaper munitions, new technologies and fresh defense budgets to rebuild capacity while the campaign continues.
That account collides with the reporting Waltz was trying to swat away. NBC News has said U.S. weapons stockpiles are diminishing as the war with Iran continues, and that commanders are allowing some Iranian attacks through U.S. defenses to preserve the Pentagon’s weapons supply, according to two senior U.S. officials. If that is the operating reality, then “everything that it needs” means something narrower than it sounds: enough to keep the campaign running, but not enough to suggest stockpiles are healthy.
The funding fight is still open. Hegseth asked lawmakers last week for $67 billion in supplemental funding to expand production and speed up delivery of weapons, and in April he told Sen. Mark Kelly at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that rebuilding the stockpile could take “months and years.” Kelly later said the situation was “by their own making,” added that “They’re not keeping track,” and said he has not yet made a final decision on whether to vote for the spending. Waltz is betting the administration can argue that the military is ready now while admitting, through its budget request, that it will take a long time to stay that way.
The unresolved issue is not whether the U.S. can keep firing today. It is how much of the reserve has already been spent, which weapons are being preserved, and how long the White House can keep saying the force is fully equipped while asking Congress to help refill the shelves.
