Pentagon asks defense firms to speed weapon production amid missile shortages
The Department of Defense has given defense contractors 21 days to submit plans for faster production of critical weapons after analyses indicated significant depletion of missile stockpiles during the recent conflict with Iran.
The Pentagon issued a memo on Aug. 5 directing defense industry leaders to provide accelerated production plans for key weapon systems within 21 days. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg wrote that “years-long development cycles are not acceptable” and called for “dramatically accelerate[ing] our program schedules and expand[ing] our production capacity now.”
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed the memo’s authenticity, noting that working with industry to speed production has been a priority since Secretary Lloyd Austin took office. He said the effort aims to “deliver generational change to the speed, capacity, and lethality of America’s defense industrial base.”
The request follows reports that the U.S. Army exhausted most of its long-range precision missile stockpiles, including Army Tactical Missile Systems and Precision Strike Missiles, during a five-month war with Iran. A Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) analysis found that about half of the Patriot interceptor, Precision Strike and THAAD missile inventories and a third of Tomahawk missiles have been used.
CSIS lead author Mark F. Cancian warned that continued conflict could leave the United States “seriously exhausted” of remaining missiles, describing a “window of vulnerability” if a new confrontation, such as with China, were to arise. Experts said replenishing the depleted stockpiles could take until mid-2029 for Patriot missiles and 2030-31 for Tomahawk missiles because of manufacturing constraints and supply-chain challenges.
The shortage could affect U.S. allies that depend on American missile systems, including Ukraine, Japan, Taiwan and Gulf states facing Iranian attacks. Senior fellow Kelly A. Grieco of the Stimson Center said the long-term strategic implications are significant, noting that pre-war inventory levels were already low.
“From day one under Secretary Austin, this Department has been focused on delivering generational change to the speed, capacity, and lethality of America’s defense industrial base and the Arsenal of Freedom,” Parnell said.
“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Feinberg wrote.
The Pentagon’s accelerated-production push reflects concerns that existing acquisition processes are “broken, antiquated, and immensely complex,” according to the spokesperson.