The Pentagon has given defense contractors 21 days to submit plans to increase weapons production
The Pentagon has asked U.S. defense industry executives to submit plans within 21 days to significantly accelerate the delivery and ramp up production of critically important weapons systems. Fortune reported this, citing the Associated Press.
In a memo obtained by The Washington Post, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg urged companies to propose significantly faster delivery schedules and/or increased production of critical defense capabilities. He emphasized that multi-year development cycles are unacceptable and that production capacity must be expanded immediately.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that the department is working to increase ammunition procurement to supply U.S. troops with weapons at the pace required by the threats. According to him, accelerating this process is part of broader modernization efforts that began even before the five-month conflict with Iran.
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According to estimates by the Washington-based think tank CSIS, stocks of modern U.S. interceptor missiles have declined following the hostilities with Iran. The number of Patriot interceptors, according to the center’s calculations, fell from 2,330 before the war to an estimated 759–827 after the latest fighting—a decrease of at least 65%. CSIS estimates that THAAD interceptor stocks have fallen from 452 to 234–278 units, a decrease of at least 38%.
Parnell confirmed the authenticity of the Feinberg memorandum and noted that its provisions will be taken into account when drafting the Pentagon’s budget request for fiscal year 2028. The defense spending bill is currently stalled in Congress, where lawmakers oppose the White House’s request to increase the Pentagon’s budget to $1.5 trillion from approximately $900 billion last year. U.S. President Donald Trump has previously stated that the country has “huge stockpiles” of ammunition, and that significant quantities are being produced and supplied to the U.S. as needed.
