WASHINGTON: U.S. Vice President JD Vance has privately warned President Donald Trump that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s briefings on the conflict with Iran have been “so positive as to be misleading,” according to a report by The Atlantic on Monday.
The report highlights a deepening rift within the administration over the true cost of the eight-week-old war, with Vance raising alarms that the Pentagon’s public optimism masks a “dangerous” depletion of critical U.S. military hardware.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Vance specifically challenged Hegseth’s characterization of U.S. missile interceptor stockpiles as “robust.” In private sessions, the Vice President reportedly warned Trump that the U.S. is burning through its inventory of Patriot and THAAD interceptors at a rate that could leave the nation vulnerable to other global adversaries.
The concerns align with recent independent data. A report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) suggests the U.S. has expended nearly 45% of its Patriot missile interceptors and up to 80% of its THAAD inventory attempting to neutralize Iranian drone and missile swarms.
“The vice president has been careful not to openly accuse Hegseth of lying,” The Atlantic reported, noting that Vance has instead framed his skepticism as a “strategic inquiry” to maintain cabinet unity while highlighting the gap between public rhetoric and battlefield reality.
Mounting Evidence of Losses:
The internal friction comes as external reports continue to challenge the administration’s “shock and awe” narrative:
Surviving Capabilities: CNN previously reported that despite massive U.S.-Israeli bombing campaigns, roughly half of Iran’s mobile missile launchers and thousands of one-way attack drones remain operational.
Base Damage: NBC News reported that damage to U.S. regional bases—including Al Udeid in Qatar and the Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain—is “far worse” than the Pentagon has publicly acknowledged, with repair costs estimated to exceed $5 billion.
Carrier Strains: While a third aircraft carrier has been deployed to the region, analysts suggest the lack of a “clear strategy” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is causing anxiety among European and Asian allies facing an energy crisis.
Administration Response:
In a statement following the report, Vance’s office maintained that the Vice President and Secretary Hegseth share a “warrior ethos,” while a White House official described the internal debates as “tough questions” typical of a high-stakes national security team.
However, the contrast remains stark. While President Trump recently posted on social media that U.S. munitions supplies are “virtually unlimited,” his own Vice President is reportedly warning him that the “cupboards are going bare,” creating a “near-term risk” should a peer competitor like China move to exploit the strategic vacuum.
The Pentagon has yet to officially comment on the specifics of the Atlantic report, insisting its assessments remain “precise, accurate, and comprehensive.”
