Pentagon urges U.S. defense firms to accelerate weapons production
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Pentagon is pushing U.S. defense companies to accelerate weapons production as the military works to replenish depleted stocks following months of fighting with Iran.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Saturday that the department was focused on increasing munitions purchases to provide “the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands.” He said the effort was part of a broader modernization program that began before the five-month conflict.
Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg on Wednesday gave defense companies 21 days to submit plans for significantly faster deliveries and increased production of critical weapons, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post.
“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Feinberg wrote, calling for an immediate expansion of production capacity.
The memo followed a new analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies warning that recent fighting had further reduced U.S. stocks of advanced missile interceptors, potentially increasing risks to American forces if hostilities resume.
The think tank estimated that Patriot interceptors fell from 2,330 before the war to 1,030 by the April ceasefire. Following subsequent fighting, the stockpile is now estimated at between 759 and 827, representing a decline of at least 65 percent.
THAAD interceptor stocks also fell from 452 before the war to between 232 and 262 at the April ceasefire. Some replenishment raised the figure to between 234 and 278, but stocks remain at least 38 percent below prewar levels.
U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected reports of a munitions shortage, saying Thursday that the U.S. has “massive amounts” of weapons and that more are being manufactured and shipped.
Parnell confirmed Feinberg’s memo and said the effort would inform the fiscal 2028 budget and support the rebuilding of the U.S. defense industrial base.