Pentagon pushes military contractors to accelerate production amid shortages after war on Iran
The Pentagon has ordered US military contractors to dramatically accelerate weapons production as the war with Iran exposes deep shortages in America’s missile and ammunition stockpiles.
Deputy War Secretary Steve Feinberg on Wednesday gave defense companies 21 days to submit plans for faster deliveries and increased production of critical weapons, warning that “years-long development cycles are not acceptable.”
The directive comes after the US fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles, over 1,000 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, and more than 1,300 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) ballistic missiles during the first month of the aggression against Iran.
The scale of expenditure has severely depleted American missile defenses, with the global inventory of Patriot interceptors falling from about 2,200 before the war to fewer than 827, while THAAD stocks dropped from 452 to fewer than 278.
The shortages have greatly heightened tensions inside the Trump administration, with concerns over dwindling weapons stocks and consequent inability to intercept Iranian drones and missiles contributing to Washington’s reluctance to escalate the war further.
President Donald Trump has sought to downplay the problem, claiming on Thursday that the US has “massive amounts” of munitions and that large quantities are being manufactured and shipped as needed.
The Pentagon, however, has been scrambling to expand production, including through framework agreements with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to increase production of the PAC-3 and THAAD missile systems.
Last week, the Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth up to $58.6 billion to triple production of PAC-3 missiles by 2030.
The Pentagon has also turned to defense technology companies including Anduril, Castelion, CoAspire, Leidos and Zone 5, seeking to rapidly expand production of lower-cost missiles and other strike weapons.
The latest US-Israeli aggression against Iran began on February 28, triggering sustained Iranian missile and drone strikes against US and Israeli assets across the region.
Iran also closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to the attacks, placing additional pressure on Washington and its regional partners.
Washington and Tehran signed the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on June 17 in an effort to end the war across all fronts.
Renewed US aggression in recent weeks, however, has prompted Iran to resume attacks against American assets and close the strategic waterway again.
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