Pentagon asks defence firms to ramp up weapons production as Iran war drains stockpile
After heavy depletion of missile stocks, Pentagon asks defence firms to ramp up weapons production. Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth (AP image) Why is the Pentagon
After heavy depletion of missile stocks, Pentagon asks defence firms to ramp up weapons production. Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth (AP image) Why is the Pentagon asking for faster production? How badly have US missile stocks been depleted? THAAD: One of the biggest concerns Patriot: Stocks also sharply lower What about Tomahawk and other offensive missiles? Why can't defence companies simply make more missiles? What exactly does the Pentagon want from defence firms? How long could rebuilding US stocks take? THAAD: CSIS estimates that replacing the interceptors used during the conflict could take until the end of 2029. Patriot: Rebuilding more than 1,000 Patriot interceptors used during the conflict could take until around the middle of 2029, according to the CSIS assessment. Tomahawk: Existing production schedules could leave US inventories below pre-war levels until late 2030. SM-3 and SM-6: Production and delivery could take several years, with CSIS estimating lead times of roughly 36 to 39 months after funding approval. JASSM: The recovery could be faster because the US had larger stocks and production was already relatively high before the war. PrSM: Since the Precision Strike Missile is a newer system and the pre-war inventory was relatively small, rebuilding stocks could take considerably less time. Why are Patriot and THAAD particularly important? Why is China part of the Pentagon's concern? Pentagon says stocks are sufficient for current war What does this mean for America's defence industry? The funding battle in Congress The US Pentagon has asked defence companies to urgently accelerate weapons production and deliveries as Washington faces growing pressure to replenish critical munitions depleted during the war with Iran, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post.The request comes amid reports that stocks of key air-defence interceptors, including THAAD and Patriot, have fallen sharply from pre-war levels.Deputy defence secretary Steve Feinberg wrote to defence industry leaders on Wednesday, giving them 21 days to submit plans for "significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities"."Years-long development timelines are unacceptable," Feinberg wrote. "We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now."The Pentagon said the push to increase production is part of a broader effort to rebuild the US defence industrial base and is not solely a response to the five-month-old conflict with Iran.Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that Feinberg's memo was "real", saying the department was focused on accelerating munitions acquisitions to provide "the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands."At the same time, US officials have rejected suggestions that the military has run out of weapons needed for current operations. Jarred Conley, principal deputy director at the Defence Department's Defence Innovation Unit, told Al Jazeera that US stocks remained adequate."We have sufficient munitions for the task at hand. The department has everything it needs today to execute a war," Conley said.The conflicting assessments reflect the central issue facing Washington: the US may still have enough weapons to conduct current operations, but replacing the large quantities of sophisticated missiles already used could take years.The latest directive comes after months of intensive military operations that have placed pressure on US stocks of precision weapons and missile interceptors.The US has relied heavily on systems such as Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defence, or THAAD, to protect American forces and allies from Iranian missiles and drones.
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