USA10 August, 20263 min read
Pentagon Second-in-Command Steve Feinberg Urges Defense Firms To Accelerate Weapons Production
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Feinberg urged major defense firms to speed production to replenish depleted U.S. weapons stockpiles. Pentagon aims to increase volume and pace of deliveries of key weapons systems.
Pentagon pushes faster output
The Pentagon’s second-in-command, Steve Feinberg, told major U.S. defense companies to accelerate production and delivery of key weapons systems, with Bloomberg reporting that Feinberg warned in a letter dated August 5 that "Development projects that take several years are no longer acceptable." Feinberg’s request, as described by ABNA English, sought proposals for compressing delivery timelines and increasing production capacity in sensitive areas, including "satellite communications and next-generation air defense systems." ABNA English said the Pentagon’s pressure comes as the continuation of the war with Iran has highlighted U.S. weapons stockpile shortages, and it cited Bloomberg’s framing that high weapons consumption has emptied stockpiles and called into question America’s combat readiness in other parts of the world.
“‘Development projects that take several years are no longer acceptable.”
The same ABNA English report said Donald Trump rejected the shortage claims, saying the U.S. possesses a "huge volume" of weapons and warning he will take action against those who claim shortages. ABNA English also cited Mark Kimmitt, a retired brigadier general, and Beca Vasser, Bloomberg’s director of defense analysis, saying the United States has consumed at least half of its Patriot missile stockpiles in the conflict with Iran.
Stockpile strain and leverage
The Jerusalem Post, citing the New York Times, said Russia and China could feel emboldened to begin a hot conflict with America due to the U.S.’s rapidly depleting weapons supply, and it quoted Tom Karako calling the depleted munitions stockpile a "generational annihilation of the means of conventional deterrence."
Karako, as quoted in the Jerusalem Post, said it was "impossible for that not to have a significant effect on the decision calculus of Russia and China," and he warned that reconstitution would take years.
The Jerusalem Post also said Reuters reported the U.S. has used "virtually all" of its highly accurate long-range missiles, and it described the Pentagon moving ships, aircraft, and air defense units from Asia and Europe to the Middle East.
The Hill reported that former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta characterized the shortage of munition stockpiles as "poor planning" by the Pentagon, linking it to a real chance of renewed attacks against Iran if diplomatic talks fail.
The Hill added that the U.S. Army has used up "virtually all" of its surface-to-surface munitions, known as army tactical missile systems (ATACMS) and precision strike missiles (PrSM), Reuters reported Tuesday.
Memo deadlines and budgets
Yafa News Network said the U.S. Department of Defense urged defense manufacturers to increase weapons production and accelerate delivery amid concerns about dwindling American stockpiles as the war with Iran continues, citing a Pentagon memo on August 5 signed by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks.
The memo, according to Yafa News Network, gave leaders of defense firms up to 21 days to present plans to significantly accelerate delivery schedules and increase production of vital capabilities, and it said the effort would be taken into account when drafting the FY2028 budget submitted to Congress.
Yafa News Network quoted Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirming the memo and said engagement with industry leaders is not new, while it described Hicks leading efforts to reform the defense procurement system described as “faulty, aging, and highly complex,” to enable production at the speed demanded by current threats.
In parallel, The New York Times said the war in Iran exhausted U.S. missile reserves and shifted supplies away from Asia and Europe, and it described the chain-reaction dispatch of ships, aircraft, and air defense units from across Europe and Asia to the Middle East.
The New York Times also said the result is "a significant erosion of U.S. firepower" in those regions, with implications described as a growing concern among intelligence and military communities.