Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has referred Senator Mark Kelly to Pentagon lawyers for allegedly disclosing classified information about depleted US weapons stockpiles. Kelly, however, insists the information came from Hegseth himself during a public Senate hearing.
Speaking on CBS News's Face the Nation on Sunday, Kelly said American inventories of Tomahawk cruise missiles, Army Tactical Missile Systems, SM-3 interceptors, Thaad rounds and Patriot missiles had been severely drawn down during the Iran conflict. He warned that replenishment could take years, leaving the US exposed in any future confrontation with China.
Hegseth responded on X, accusing Kelly of disclosing details from a classified Pentagon briefing and saying the department's legal counsel would review whether the senator had violated his oath. Kelly countered that the information came from Hegseth's own testimony at a 30 April Senate armed services committee hearing, which was held in open session.
“That’s not classified, it’s a quote from you,” Kelly wrote. “This war is coming at a serious cost and you and the president still haven’t explained to the American people what the goal is.” At the hearing, Kelly had asked Hegseth directly: “How many years will it take to replenish our munitions from Trump’s war in Iran?”
The confrontation is the latest in a dispute between the two men stretching back to last fall, when Kelly joined five fellow Democratic lawmakers in a video reminding military personnel they are legally obligated to refuse unlawful orders. Hegseth responded by formally censuring Kelly, opening a Pentagon investigation and seeking to strip him of his retired rank of captain. A federal court temporarily blocked both actions, ruling the Pentagon had probably violated Kelly’s first amendment rights.
The Pentagon declined to respond to the scope of its legal review, the consequences, and whether the investigation has already begun.
