Pentagon Presses Defense Contractors to Ramp Up Production, Speed Up Deliveries
RastinewsThe U.S. Department of Defense has asked defense industry companies to accelerate weapons production and deliveries after strikes on Iran depleted munitions stockpiles.
According to a previously unpublished Pentagon document obtained by The Washington Post, Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg sent a letter to defense industry executives demanding faster production and delivery of critical military capabilities.
Feinberg asked companies to submit plans to the Pentagon within 21 days for "much faster, more aggressive delivery schedules" or for increasing production of critical capabilities.
"Multi-year development timelines are unacceptable," Feinberg wrote, adding that program schedules must be significantly accelerated and that production capacity needs to expand now.
He also asked defense companies to submit concrete investment plans and facility expansion proposals to boost production capacity.
War with Iran drained munitions stockpiles
In the first month of the war, the United States reportedly used more than 850 Tomahawk missiles and more than 1,000 Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, while the Army fired more than 1,300 tactical ballistic missiles.
According to an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the global Patriot missile stockpile, which stood at about 2,200 before the war, has fallen below 827, while the THAAD stockpile, previously at 452, has dropped below 278.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced in April that it had reached a framework agreement with Boeing and Lockheed Martin to triple production capacity for critical missile components.