Secretary of War Pete Hegseth appeared to rebuff the words of one of his key deputies which linked the pause of a multi-billion-dollar arms shipment for Taiwan to the ongoing Iran war.
Hegseth told reporters Saturday the U.S. feels “very good” about its weapons stockpiles and suggested the war did not result in a $14 billion arms sale set to go to Taiwan to be put on hold. The Pentagon chief’s remarks seemed to conflict with those of Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao, who said May 21 the sale was paused to ensure the U.S. had sufficient weaponry for the costly Middle Eastern conflict.
“Hung Cao is fantastic, but I would not couple the two in any way at all,” Hegseth said Saturday, referring to the arms shipment and the war. “[A]nd I feel good about not only where we are, but where we are in future production rates as well.”
“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 during his remarks to reporters. “Any decision about future Taiwan arms sales, as the president [Donald Trump] said, will rest with him as a nature of that relationship.”
When asked for comment, a Department of War spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) they did not have anything to add beyond Hegseth’s comments. The Department of the Navy did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment.
Hegseth got a question on Taiwan’s arms sales in this Q and A session with allies’ delegation’s. ⁰⁰The question was on the Navy Sec. recently saying the U.S. paused weapons shipments to Taiwan because of the war in Iran. ⁰⁰Hegseth responded 9:24 am local⁰⁰Hegseth said he is…
— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) May 30, 2026
“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 told Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell during a May 21 Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, referring to name of the U.S. military’s initial operation in Iran.
McConnell had asked Cao if he expects the $14 billion sale would “be approved at some point,” to which the acting Navy secretary replied it would be the decision of his boss, Hegseth, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio. McConnell called the fact that Hegseth and Rubio would make this determination “really distressing.”
Just six days earlier, Trump told Fox News’s Bret Baier the Taiwan package was intended as a “negotiating chip” with China. Trump’s May 15 interview with Baier took place the day after he traveled to Beijing along with Hegseth, Rubio, and other members of his administration to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
If the paused arms sale to Taiwan falls through completely, it could violate the Carter-era Taiwan Relations Act, which states the U.S. must provide the island country with sufficient defense. The U.S. does not officially recognize Taiwan — officially known as the Republic of China — as an independent nation pursuant to its “One-China” policy, by which it instead recognizes Xi’s People’s Republic of China.
Cao, after being confirmed as the undersecretary of the Navy, became the Navy’s acting secretary in late April after Hegseth fired Navy Secretary John Phelan.
Hegseth on Saturday gave a 25-minute speech at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’s (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore about the Pentagon’s vision for its Asia defense policy. He did not mention Taiwan by name during the speech.
“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,” the secretary 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.”
“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 added. “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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