US Pushes Defense Firms to Rebuild Missile Stocks After Iran War: WP
Deputy War Secretary Steve Feinberg's directive comes as the Pentagon seeks to replenish missile and interceptor stocks depleted during the war with Iran, The Washington Post reports.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The Pentagon has given US defense companies 21 days to propose substantially faster weapons production and delivery schedules as the war with Iran has depleted stocks of key missiles and interceptors, according to a previously unreported memo obtained by The Washington Post.
Deputy War Secretary Steve Feinberg told industry leaders that the War Department needs accelerated production, expanded manufacturing capacity and, where necessary, investment in new or expanded facilities.
"Years-long development cycles are not acceptable," Feinberg wrote in the memo, according to The Washington Post.
The directive underscores the pressure facing the Pentagon after extensive use of US munitions during the conflict, particularly Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, Tomahawk cruise missiles and Army tactical ballistic missiles.
Pentagon demands faster weapons production
Feinberg's memo calls on defense companies to identify the fastest possible production schedules for weapons considered critical to US military requirements and to outline specific investments needed to increase output.
The Pentagon said the directive is part of an existing effort to rebuild the US defense-industrial base.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the memo was authentic and said it would help inform the fiscal 2028 budget request to Congress.
The document comes as the administration seeks to move more quickly from traditional procurement timelines toward higher-volume production.
Feinberg also asked companies to demonstrate their willingness to invest alongside the government as the Pentagon seeks sustained orders.
Iran war strains US missile stocks
The urgency stems largely from the scale of weapons used during the Iran war.
According to The Washington Post, the United States fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles and more than 1,000 Patriot and THAAD interceptors during the first month of fighting, while more than 1,300 Army tactical ballistic missiles were also used during the initial weeks.
A CSIS analysis cited by The Post found that the global inventory of Patriot missiles had fallen from about 2,200 before the war to fewer than 827, while THAAD inventories declined from 452 to fewer than 278.
President Donald Trump has said the United States possesses "massive amounts" of munitions and that additional supplies are being manufactured and shipped as needed. The Pentagon's accelerated production effort reflects its stated push to replenish inventories.
Pentagon turns to industry
The latest directive follows several Pentagon initiatives involving major defense contractors and newer defense-technology companies.
The department has established framework agreements with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman aimed at increasing production of PAC-3 and THAAD missiles.
The Pentagon has also reached agreements with firms including Anduril, Castelion, CoAspire, Leidos and Zone 5 to expand production of lower-cost strike weapons.
A recent multiyear Lockheed Martin agreement, reported by the company at up to $58.6 billion, is intended to increase PAC-3 production substantially by 2030.
But these efforts do not all represent fully funded procurement contracts.
Funding remains a hurdle
Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Washington Post that framework agreements signal an intention to purchase weapons but still depend on congressional funding.
"They're agreements to agree," Karako said, emphasizing that the arrangements are not equivalent to completed contracts.
The Pentagon's ability to turn its accelerated production plans into sustained procurement therefore remains tied to congressional appropriations. A proposed $1.15 trillion defense spending bill remains caught in political disputes over the scale of additional military spending.
The funding question leaves the Pentagon seeking to accelerate production while also depending on Congress to provide the resources required to translate those plans into expanded weapons output.