Pentagon Demands US Defence Industry Accelerate Weapons Production

The US Pentagon is pressing the defence industry to accelerate weapons production to replenish munitions depleted in the ongoing war with Iran. Deputy Defence Secretary Steve Feinberg sent a memo to industry leaders on Wednesday giving them 21 days to submit acceleration plans to "drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities", according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post.

"Years-long development cycles are not acceptable," Feinberg wrote in the memo, as reported by The Washington Post. "We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now."

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed on Saturday that the department is boosting munitions acquisitions. He said the effort aims to provide "the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands". He confirmed department efforts in the last week to significantly speed the process but insisted it was part of a broader modernisation effort that predated the five-month-old conflict.

Depleted Missile Stockpiles

The Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that Patriot interceptor stockpiles fell from 2,330 before the war to 1,030 during the April ceasefire. Following recent fighting, the inventory now stands between 759 and 827, representing a decrease of at least 65% since before the conflict began.

THAAD missile stocks also plunged. Prior to the hostilities, the US held 452 THAAD interceptors, but this figure dropped to between 232 and 262 by the April truce, CSIS stated. While Washington later rebuilt the inventory to between 234 and 278, the current stockpile remains at least 38% below pre-war levels.

Shrunken inventories may force the US and its Middle Eastern allies to take more risks to conserve air defences. The CSIS analysis warned that forces may launch fewer interceptors, raising the risk of incoming Iranian drones and missiles getting through.

Stalled Funding Battles

President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday denying a munitions shortage. He said the US has "massive amounts". Trump added that "large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed".

A defence spending bill remains stalled in Congress, with lawmakers fuming over Trump’s military action against Iran. Lawmakers are resisting a White House request to increase the budget to $1.5trn from about $900bn last year.

Parnell affirmed that Feinberg’s memo seeking a rapid escalation of weapons production is "real", adding that it "will inform the fiscal year 2028 budget submitted to Congress for funding, and it is entirely consistent with our ongoing push to rebuild the defense industrial base."