Pentagon gives arms firms 21 days to ramp up production amid severe missile shortages
The Pentagon is asking the U.S. defense industry to rapidly escalate the production and delivery of weapons, including munitions that are in extreme shortage due to the war with Iran, according to a Defense Department memo, The Washington Post reported on August 9.
The U.S. Defense Department has instructed defense industry firms to rapidly increase the production and delivery of weapons, including munitions that are currently in extreme shortage, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post on August 9. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg gave industry leaders a 21-day deadline to submit plans for "significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities."
Feinberg criticized the long development cycles as unacceptable, urging a dramatic acceleration of program schedules and expansion of production capacity. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed the memo's authenticity, stating that cooperation between government and industry to accelerate production is not new. The demand for faster weapons production intensified as the U.S. missile arsenal faced significant depletion due to the conflict with Iran.
In the first month of the war, the U.S. launched over 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles, more than 1,000 Patriot and THAAD interceptors, and used over 1,300 tactical ballistic missiles. As a result, the global inventory of Patriot missiles plummeted from 2,200 to fewer than 827, and THAAD missiles decreased from 452 to fewer than 278.
The White House and Pentagon denied reports of a missile shortage, with President Trump expressing skepticism and threatening legal action against media sources making such claims.
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