The Pentagon has reportedly ordered US defence companies to accelerate the production and deliveries of weapon systems as the ongoing war in Iran has allegedly depleted key US munitions stockpiles.
The Pentagon has reportedly ordered US defence companies to accelerate the production and deliveries of weapon systems as the ongoing war in Iran has allegedly depleted key US munitions stockpiles. According to a report by The Washington Post, Deputy Defence Secretary Steve Feinberg issued a memo on the matter on Wednesday.
In his latest directives, Feinberg told the country’s defence industry leaders that they have 21 days to submit plans on how to “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities.” “Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” wrote Feinberg, according to the memo obtained by The Washington Post.
“We must dramatically accelerate our programme schedules and expand our production capacity now,” the statement further reads. It is pertinent to note that the directive comes as the Pentagon seeks to replenish stocks of weapons, including Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) interceptors.
The Centre for Strategic and International Studies said earlier that the global inventory of Patriot missiles had fallen from about 2,200 before the war to fewer than 827, while THAAD stocks dropped from 452 to less than 278. In light of this, the Pentagon has also pursued framework agreements with major defence contractors and technology firms to expand production.
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However, all these agreements are nonbinding and depend on congressional funding. “Almost nothing has been contracted, and that’s the problem,” said Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defence Project at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed Feinberg’s memo and said that it “will inform the fiscal year 2028 budget submitted to Congress for funding” and is consistent with efforts to rebuild the US defence industrial base.
It is pertinent to note that the latest push from the Pentagon is coming at a time when the $1.15 trillion defence spending bill remains stalled in Congress, potentially delaying efforts to rapidly expand weapons production.
Earlier this week, The Washington Post reported that US President Donald Trump has confronted Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over critical munitions shortages during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David. Citing two people familiar with the exchange, the American newspaper reported that Trump demanded an explanation after learning that shortages of key weapons, including long-range guided missiles and Patriot air-defence interceptors, had not been resolved despite his belief that the issue had already been addressed.
The same report suggested that the concerns over depleted stockpiles have contributed to Trump’s decision not to authorise additional large-scale strikes against Iran in recent days. The sources said that Hegseth defended his handling of the issue and blamed Deputy Defence Secretary Stephen Feinberg for the shortages and for failing to fully brief the president on the state of US weapons inventories.
However, the White House eventually dismissed the account, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling it “100 per cent fake news” and saying Trump has “the utmost confidence” in Hegseth. The Pentagon also denied the allegations, with chief spokesperson Sean Parnell saying Hegseth “did not mislead anyone about our munitions posture” and describing the report as “fictional.”