Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he has referred Senator Mark Kelly to Pentagon lawyers for allegedly disclosing classified information about U.S. weapons stockpiles, a claim Kelly strongly disputes.

Kelly said on television that American missile inventories were depleted after recent conflicts and warned it could take years to rebuild, arguing the information came from a public Senate hearing with Hegseth himself.

Hegseth responded on social media that Kelly revealed classified material and suggested he may have violated his oath, prompting the referral for legal review.

Kelly countered that Hegseth’s comments were made in an open session and therefore were not classified, The Guardian has reported.

The dispute is part of an ongoing political and legal clash between the two, which has previously included Pentagon investigations, court challenges, and broader tensions over military policy and political speech.