US urges defense firms to ramp up weapons production amid depleted stockpiles

The Pentagon is pushing US defense companies to sharply accelerate weapons production as Washington moves to replenish dwindling stocks of munitions, including advanced missile interceptors depleted during the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said Saturday that the department was focused on speeding up munitions procurement to deliver “the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands.” He said efforts to accelerate production had intensified over the past week but stressed that the push was part of a broader effort to modernize and expand the US defense industrial base that began before the five-month-old war.

Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg directed defense industry executives on Wednesday to submit, within 21 days, plans for “significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities,” according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post.

“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Feinberg wrote, calling for an immediate expansion of production capacity and faster program timelines.

The directive comes as recent fighting with Iran has further depleted US stocks of advanced missile interceptors, potentially increasing risks to American forces if hostilities resume, according to a new analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The think tank warned that reduced inventories of Patriot and THAAD interceptors could force the US and its Middle Eastern allies to be more selective in using their air-defense systems. American forces, for instance, could fire fewer interceptors at incoming Iranian drones and missiles in an effort to conserve supplies, increasing the possibility that some threats could penetrate defenses.

President Donald Trump has pushed back against reports of a US munitions shortage. In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said the US has “massive amounts” of weapons and added that large quantities are being manufactured and shipped to the country as required.

Parnell on Saturday confirmed that Feinberg’s memo was authentic, saying it would help shape the fiscal year 2028 defense budget request to Congress. He said the initiative was consistent with the Pentagon’s broader effort to rebuild the US defense industrial base.

Meanwhile, a defense spending bill remains stalled in Congress, where lawmakers have expressed concerns over Trump’s military action against Iran and resisted the White House proposal to raise Pentagon spending to $1.5 trillion from roughly $900 billion last year.

According to CSIS estimates, the US had about 2,330 Patriot interceptors before the war. That figure fell to roughly 1,030 by the April ceasefire. Following the latest fighting, the stockpile is estimated at between 759 and 827 — at least 65% below its prewar level.

THAAD interceptor stocks have also declined significantly. The US had about 452 before the conflict, falling to between 232 and 262 by the April ceasefire. Some replenishment lifted the inventory to an estimated 234-278 interceptors, but the stockpile remains at least 38% below its prewar level.