United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Cain have faced public questioning for the second day, this time in front of the Senate Armed Forces Committee.The hearing on Thursday came a day after Hegseth and Caine appeared before a House committee, the first time the pair had faced public questioning from lawmakers since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listIn at times bellicose language, Hegseth repeatedly decried critics of the war, including lawmakers, accusing them of “fecklessly” aiding US enemies.On Thursday, he again delivered a defence of the war, which Pentagon officials revealed yesterday had so far cost the US at least $25bn, while giving little clarity on next steps amid a tentative pause in fighting and stalled talks with Iran.Here were the key moments.Hegseth says US stockpiles ‘in good shape’Batting away a key criticism of the war, Hegseth maintained that the US munitions stockpile remained “in good shape”.That comes amid a series of reports that indicate it may not be the case. Some lawmakers have charged that depleted munitions have potentially left the US vulnerable in other theatres.The New York Times last week reported that the number of expensive long-range stealth and Patriot interceptor missiles the US has so far used in the war has forced the military to surge weapons and hardware from other regions.Yesterday, Pentagon officials told lawmakers that the US had spent $25bn since the war began, but were unclear on whether that included damage to US assets in the Middle East. Advertisement Caine says Russia has assisted Iran in the warThe top US genera …
