The Pentagon is pressing the United States defence industry to accelerate weapons production as the five-month-old war with Iran depletes US munitions stocks. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Saturday that the department was speeding up acquisitions to provide “the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands”.
Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg gave defence companies no more than 21 days to submit plans for faster deliveries or increased production of critical capabilities, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post. Feinberg wrote that years-long development cycles were not acceptable and called for production capacity to expand immediately.
What the Pentagon is asking industry to do
Parnell confirmed that the memo is real and said it would inform the fiscal year 2028 budget submitted to Congress for funding. He described the effort as part of a broader push to modernise and rebuild the US defence industrial base, rather than an initiative that began only with the conflict.
The Pentagon is also seeking to increase production capacity for missile-defence components. Earlier this month, the Department of Defense reached a new deal with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman covering parts used in missile-defence systems.
How the war has affected interceptor stocks
Recent fighting has used more advanced missile interceptors, including Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, systems. A Center for Strategic and International Studies analysis estimated that the Patriot inventory fell from 2,330 before the war to 1,030 when an April ceasefire took effect, and later to between 759 and 827. That represents a decrease of at least 65 percent from the pre-war level.
The THAAD inventory fell from 452 before the war to between 232 and 262 at the start of the April ceasefire. Some replenishment brought the estimate to between 234 and 278, but the stockpile remained at least 38 percent below its pre-war level.
Why replenishment may take years
CSIS said reduced inventories could force US forces and Middle Eastern allies to take greater risks in conserving air defences, including launching fewer interceptors against incoming Iranian drones and missiles. Retired US Marine Corps Colonel Mark Cancian, an author of the analysis, said there were few substitutes for the remaining Patriot interceptors.
Experts estimate that restoring Patriot and THAAD interceptor stocks to pre-war levels could take at least three years, even with additional funding. Meanwhile, a defence spending bill remains stalled in Congress as lawmakers oppose the White House request to increase Pentagon spending to $1.5 trillion from about $900bn last year.
President Donald Trump has denied that the United States faces a strategic disadvantage in its weapons stocks. He said large quantities of munitions were being manufactured and shipped as needed, and that contractors were building more plants and factories.
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