WASHINGTON — The Pentagon weapons production effort is being stepped up as the Department of Defense urges U.S. contractors to quicken delivery of missiles and other munitions to rebuild stocks diminished in recent fighting with Iran.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Saturday that the department is prioritizing expanded munitions purchases to provide “the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands.” He said steps taken in the past week are aimed at markedly accelerating the process and are part of a broader modernization initiative that began before the five-month-old conflict.
Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg told industry leaders on Wednesday to submit, within 21 days, plans to “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities,” according to a memo reviewed by reporters.
“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Feinberg wrote. “We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.”
The memo follows renewed hostilities with Iran that have further strained the U.S. military’s supply of advanced missile interceptors, a trend that could heighten risk to American forces if clashes resume, according to a new analysis.
Reduced inventories of Patriot and THAAD interceptors may push the United States and regional partners to accept greater risk to conserve air defenses, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies assessed. The think tank said U.S. forces could fire fewer interceptors at incoming Iranian drones and missiles, increasing the odds that some penetrate defenses.
Pentagon weapons production and stock levels
In recent days, President Donald Trump rejected public claims of a munitions shortfall, writing on Truth Social that the United States has “massive amounts” and that “large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed.”
Parnell on Saturday confirmed the authenticity of Feinberg’s directive, saying it will shape the fiscal year 2028 budget request to Congress and aligns with the department’s ongoing work to strengthen the defense industrial base.
Lawmakers remain deadlocked over a defense spending bill. Members of Congress have criticized Trump’s military action against Iran and resisted a White House request to raise Pentagon funding to $1.5 trillion from about $900 billion last year.
CSIS estimated last month that Patriot interceptor stocks fell from 2,330 before the war to 1,030 at the April ceasefire. After the latest engagements, the inventory is now believed to be between 759 and 827, reflecting a reduction of at least 65 percent from prewar levels.
The think tank said THAAD interceptor numbers dropped from 452 before the war to between 232 and 262 at the start of the April ceasefire. Some replenishment has lifted the total to between 234 and 278, but the stockpile remains at least 38 percent below pre-conflict levels.
The memo follows renewed hostilities with Iran that have further strained the U.S. military’s supply of advanced missile interceptors, a trend that could heighten risk to American forces if clashes resume, according to a new analysis from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Some replenishment has lifted the total to between 234 and 278, but the stockpile remains at least 38 percent below pre-conflict levels, raising continued concerns about how quickly the Pentagon and its contractors can respond to evolving threats compared with the pace of past U.S. military operations.