With US weapons stockpiles reportedly falling to dangerously low levels amid the ongoing conflict with Iran, the Pentagon has urged the defense industry to rapidly increase weapons production.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg has given defense industry executives a maximum of 21 days to submit plans for urgently increasing weapons production and accelerating deliveries, according to a letter he sent to industry leaders.
Feinberg made it clear that the lengthy development and procurement processes that have been in place for years are no longer acceptable.
The extensive use of advanced missile interceptors in recent fighting has reportedly reduced US stocks of critical air-defense systems such as Patriot and THAAD by as much as 65 percent. Experts warn that the shortage could pose a serious risk to the air-defense capabilities of US forces and their allies in the Middle East.
However, US President Donald Trump has dismissed reports of an arms shortage as unfounded. He has claimed that the United States has a large supply of weapons and that more weapons are currently being produced in factories than at any other time in the country’s history.
The Pentagon said the decision to rapidly increase production will also be incorporated into the 2028 defense budget.
However, experts have warned that even with sufficient funding and new contracts, it could take at least three years to rebuild US weapons stockpiles to their prewar levels, particularly amid political disputes over the budget in Congress.
