The US Defense Department has requested that American defense companies quickly boost their production and delivery of weapons amid an acute shortage of arms due to the Iran war, according to a memo reported on by The Washington Post on Saturday.
Industry chiefs were told by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg in the memo Wednesday that they had a maximum of 21 days to present plans to “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities,” according to the memo.
Feinberg said that “years-long development cycles are not acceptable” and demanded that firms “dramatically accelerate” their schedules and production capacity.
The memo asked defense contractors to “propose specific capital investments and facility expansions… to support the Department’s commitment to higher volume, sustained orders,” the report said.
“Address how we will collaborate as partners and demonstrate your willingness to put skin in the game,” wrote Feinberg.
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CNN reported last week that the US military has used up close to 80 percent of its interceptors for the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system and approximately 50% of its Patriot interceptors, leaving the supply of those munitions “dangerously low.”
A member of the US Air Force stands near a Patriot missile battery at the Prince Sultan air base in al-Kharj, central Saudi Arabia, February 20, 2020. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via AP)
The Pentagon has announced several “framework agreements” with defense contractors in recent months to boost production, but the Post noted that these are not actual contracts, as the government will only commit to purchasing the weapons once Congress appropriates the relevant funds.
The relevant legislation — a $1.15 trillion defense spending bill — is currently stuck, with Democrats objecting to the major spending increases.
Now-US Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
The Feinberg memo came after, late last month, defense firm executives were summoned to the White House, where senior officials asked them to lobby congresspeople to boost spending, the Post said, confirming an earlier Fox News report.
On Thursday, Trump denied reports that he is unhappy with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over the depleted stockpile of American missile interceptors.
The shortage of interceptors was reportedly one of the main concerns discussed between Trump and his top advisers before the administration decided to hold off on escalating its campaign against Iran toward the end of last month.
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