Pentagon presses defense firms to increase weapons production as Iran war depletes stocks

The Pentagon is urgently pressing US defense companies to sharply accelerate production and delivery of weapons, particularly munitions critically depleted by the ongoing war with Iran, according to a Defense Department memo obtained by The Washington Post.

The directive from Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg highlights extreme shortages of key systems and underscores tensions over America’s dwindling arsenal amid the prolonged war against Iran.

Outside closed-door meetings and formal guidance, US forces have expended vast quantities of precision munitions.

Independent analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated that Patriot interceptors fell from about 2,200 before the conflict to fewer than 827, while THAAD missiles dropped from 452 to under 278.

The United States also fired more than 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles, with replenishment of prewar inventories potentially stretching into late 2030 under current production rates.

“The United States has enough munitions for any plausible scenario in the Iran war, but the depleted inventories have created a window of vulnerability for a potential Western Pacific conflict,” CSIS stated in an earlier assessment.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has publicly downplayed the crisis at times, telling lawmakers the munitions issue “has been foolishly and unhelpfully overstated” and that “we have all the munitions needed to execute what we need to execute.”

Yet administration actions—including invoking the Defense Production Act and seeking emergency funding—reveal deeper private concerns.

Feinberg’s memo forms part of a broader push that includes multiyear framework agreements with both traditional primes and newer defense-tech firms.

In meetings with executives, Hegseth has stressed that companies will be “critical to restocking the nation’s supplies.”

The Pentagon has announced deals aimed at aggressively expanding low-cost missile production with firms such as Anduril, Castelion, and others, seeking thousands of affordable strike weapons in coming years.

Major contractors are responding with capacity expansions.

Lockheed Martin is working to triple or more production of Patriot PAC-3 interceptors and quadruple THAAD output, while RTX (Raytheon’s parent) targets higher Tomahawk rates.

These firms have reported soaring order backlogs and raised profit forecasts as demand surges from both US replenishment needs and allied purchases.

“Contractors that are willing to change with us will prosper and grow,” Feinberg has told industry audiences; “those who don’t, and resist it, will be gone.”

Officials acknowledge that full recovery will take years even with accelerated efforts, leaving regional commands in Asia and Europe temporarily less ready for other contingencies.

The administration has sought supplemental funding, including billions specifically for munitions, while encouraging private investment in new plants and production lines.

Hegseth has praised industry moves “so that we’re getting weapons faster than ever.”