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The Pentagon has urged US defense companies to rapidly increase weapons production and deliveries amid shortages of critical munitions linked to the war with Iran.
According to The Washington Post, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg sent a letter to industry leaders on Wednesday giving companies no more than 21 days to submit plans for “significantly accelerating” deliveries or increasing production of critical components.
“Years-long development cycles are unacceptable. We must dramatically accelerate program timelines and immediately expand production capacity,” Feinberg wrote.
The Pentagon’s push comes after the US used large quantities of weapons during the first weeks of the war with Iran. According to The Washington Post, the US fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles, over 1,000 Patriot and THAAD interceptors, and more than 1,300 tactical ballistic missiles.
A CSIS analysis found that the global stockpile of Patriot missiles had fallen from about 2,200 before the war with Iran to fewer than 827, while THAAD interceptors had declined from 453 to fewer than 278.
The Pentagon has already taken steps to expand production. On Monday, it announced framework agreements with Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin to increase production of Patriot PAC-3 and THAAD missiles.
Last week, the Pentagon also awarded Lockheed Martin a $58.6 billion contract aimed at tripling PAC-3 production by 2030.
The push to expand weapons production comes as President Donald Trump has reportedly raised concerns about US ammunition shortages amid the war with Iran. Trump later publicly denied being dissatisfied with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Hegseth has said the US has spent $37.5 billion on the war with Iran and warned that the Pentagon will require urgent additional funding to maintain its operations.
