Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Saturday publicly disconnected the ongoing war in Iran from a paused $14 billion arms shipment to Taiwan, directly contradicting recent testimony from one of his top deputies.
Speaking to reporters, Hegseth stated that the U.S. feels “very good” about its weapons stockpiles and rejected the idea that the Middle Eastern conflict forced the multibillion-dollar sale to be put on hold. His comments directly conflict with statements made by Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao on May 21, who told lawmakers that the Taiwan sale was paused specifically to ensure the U.S. military maintained sufficient weaponry for the war in Iran.
“Hung Cao is fantastic, but I would not couple the two in any way at all,” Hegseth said Saturday. “[A]nd I feel good about not only where we are, but where we are in future production rates as well.”
Hegseth emphasized that American military reserves are fully prepared for global challenges. “Our ability to recommence, if necessary, is we are more than capable. Our stockpiles are more than suited for that, both there and around the globe, because of how we balance exquisite and more plentiful munitions,” he added. He also noted that “any decision about future Taiwan arms sales, as the president [Donald Trump] said, will rest with him as a nature of that relationship.”
The internal disagreement traces back to a May 21 Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing. Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell asked Cao if he expected the $14 billion sale would “be approved at some point.”
Cao responded, “Right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for [Operation] Epic Fury, which we have plenty, but we are just making sure we have everything.” Cao used the military’s official name for the initial operations in Iran and added that the ultimate decision would belong to Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. McConnell called the fact that Hegseth and Rubio would make this determination “really distressing.”
A Department of War spokesperson stated they had nothing to add beyond Hegseth’s comments, while the Department of the Navy did not return requests for comment.
The dispute comes on the heels of statements by President Donald Trump, who told Fox News’s Bret Baier on May 15 that the Taiwan package was intended as a “negotiating chip” with China. That interview occurred one day after Trump, Hegseth, Rubio, and other administration officials traveled to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Under the Carter-era Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S. is legally required to provide Taiwan with sufficient defense capabilities. A permanent cancellation of the arms sale could potentially violate that act. Under its long-standing “One-China” policy, the U.S. does not officially recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, instead recognizing the People’s Republic of China.
Cao took over as acting secretary of the Navy in late April after Hegseth fired the previous secretary, John Phelan.
Hegseth’s latest remarks were delivered at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’s Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where he gave a 25-minute speech outlining U.S. defense policy in Asia. While he did not mention Taiwan by name during the formal address, he did address regional anxieties regarding Beijing.
“When we look across the region today, there is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” Hegseth said. “We share a clear-eyed assessment of that security environment and a mutual understanding that a Pacific dominated by any hegemon would unravel the regional balance power and undermine the equilibrium we all seek to preserve. The Department of War is working with the utmost focus to prevent any such unraveling.”
Hegseth also called on regional allies to increase their own military investments. “For too long, the security of this region has rested disproportionately on American military power, while many of our allies and partners allowed their own defense capabilities to atrophy,” Hegseth said. “That’s a bad deal for the American taxpayer and it’s an unsustainable crutch for our allies and partners. Instead, we are all best off when, based on our comparative advantages, we all contribute to the shared goal of peace and stability. This is not a my way or the highway approach.”
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