The Pentagon is directing weapons manufacturers to propose sharply faster production schedules as estimates show major declines in Patriot and THAAD interceptor inventories following months of fighting with Iran.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Pentagon is pressing U.S. defense contractors to rapidly expand weapons production as the military works to replenish munitions inventories that have been reduced by months of conflict, including substantial use of advanced missile interceptors during fighting with Iran.
Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg gave defense industry leaders no more than 21 days to submit proposals outlining how they can deliver critical weapons faster and increase manufacturing capacity, according to a Wednesday memo obtained by The Washington Post.
The directive calls on companies to “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities.”
“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Feinberg wrote. “We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.”
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed Saturday that the department has intensified its efforts during the past week to speed weapons procurement and production. He said the objective is to provide “the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands.”
Parnell characterized the initiative as part of a wider effort to modernize weapons procurement and rebuild U.S. manufacturing capacity rather than a policy created solely in response to the five-month-old conflict with Iran.
The renewed production push comes as estimates indicate that U.S. supplies of some of its most advanced air-defense interceptors have fallen considerably.
A recent analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that the fighting with Iran consumed additional quantities from already diminished inventories of Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, interceptors.
The Washington-based think tank warned that lower stockpiles could force the United States and its allies in the Middle East to make more difficult decisions about when to use their remaining air-defense missiles if fighting resumes.
One possible consequence, according to the analysis, is that U.S. forces could fire fewer interceptors against incoming Iranian missiles and drones in an attempt to preserve supplies. Doing so could increase the likelihood that an incoming weapon penetrates American air defenses.
The estimated decline has drawn public attention even as President Donald Trump has rejected reports suggesting the United States faces a shortage.
Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social that the country possesses “massive amounts” of munitions and said “large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed.”
Parnell on Saturday confirmed that Feinberg’s directive to defense manufacturers is “real,” while emphasizing that the initiative extends beyond immediate battlefield requirements.
The memo “will inform the fiscal year 2028 budget submitted to Congress for funding, and it is entirely consistent with our ongoing push to rebuild the defense industrial base,” Parnell said.
The Pentagon’s effort is unfolding while a defense spending measure remains stalled in Congress. Lawmakers have expressed anger over Trump’s military actions against Iran, while some are also resisting a White House request to raise Pentagon spending substantially.
The administration is seeking approximately $1.5 trillion in defense spending, compared with about $900 billion last year.
Estimates of Patriot interceptor inventories illustrate the scale of the depletion cited by analysts.
CSIS estimated last month that the United States had approximately 2,330 Patriot interceptors before the war. By the time an April ceasefire took effect, that figure had fallen to roughly 1,030.
Following more recent fighting, the estimated inventory declined further to between 759 and 827 Patriot interceptors. That represents a reduction of at least 65% from the level estimated before the conflict began.
THAAD inventories have also declined.
According to CSIS, the United States possessed approximately 452 THAAD interceptors before the war. The number had dropped to between 232 and 262 by the beginning of the April ceasefire.
Some of those losses were subsequently replenished, bringing the estimated inventory to between 234 and 278 interceptors. Even after that replenishment, however, the THAAD stockpile remains at least 38% below its estimated prewar level.
The Pentagon is now seeking production plans from manufacturers that could shorten delivery timelines and expand output of critical systems as officials prepare future defense budgets and attempt to rebuild inventories consumed during recent military operations.
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