Pentagon asks defense firms for accelerated weapons production plans

The Pentagon issued a memo on Aug. 5 directing defense contractors to submit proposals within three weeks for faster, larger-scale production of key weapons systems. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg wrote that “years-long development cycles are not acceptable” and called for an immediate expansion of production capacity.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the effort is part of a broader push under Secretary of Defense Lloyd Jenkins to modernize the defense industrial base. > "From day one under Secretary Hegseth, 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.

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 analysis estimated that roughly half of Patriot interceptors, Precision Strike and THAAD missiles, and a third of Tomahawk missiles have been used.

Analysts warned that replenishing these inventories could take several years, with pre-war levels of Patriot interceptors not expected until mid-2029 and Tomahawk missiles until 2030-31. Senior fellow Kelly A. Grieco of the Stimson Center said the shortfall has “long-term strategic implications” for U.S. defense readiness.

The shortage stems from the complexity of missile manufacturing, supply-chain constraints, and the practice of producing weapons years in advance. Experts noted that multiple U.S. operations—including defensive intercepts against Houthi attacks, strikes in the Red Sea, and missions in Nigeria—have also drawn from the same stockpiles.

Allies that rely on U.S. missile systems, such as Ukraine, Japan, Taiwan and Gulf states, could feel the impact if current depletion continues.