Pentagon asks defence firms to accelerate weapons production

Investing.com -- The Pentagon has asked major U.S. defence contractors to accelerate production and delivery of critical weapons systems as the Iran war places increased pressure on military stockpiles, Bloomberg reported.

Deputy Defence Secretary Steve Feinberg sent the request to companies including Boeing Co (NYSE:BA), Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) and Rtx Corp (NYSE:RTX) in an August 5 letter first reported by the Washington Post.

“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Feinberg wrote. “We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.”

The Pentagon is seeking faster procurement and increased production of wide-area surveillance equipment, air-defence sensors, missile interceptors and missile-tracking systems.

U.S. weapons inventories have come under growing scrutiny as the military carries out attacks against Iran and intercepts drones and missiles targeting American bases across the Middle East.

President Donald Trump denied on Thursday that the U.S. was running short of munitions, saying the country had “massive amounts” available.

Trump acknowledged that supplies of some unidentified systems were “a little bit tighter,” but said replacements were arriving daily. He did not provide further details.

The Pentagon’s concerns extend beyond weapons being used in the Iran war. Feinberg also identified satellite communications, next-generation air-defence equipment and Lockheed Martin’s Next Generation Interceptor as priority programmes.

The Next Generation Interceptor is designed to protect the U.S. from intercontinental ballistic missiles and replace older components of the country’s homeland missile defence network.

Defence companies were asked to submit plans by late August detailing more aggressive delivery schedules, expanded manufacturing capacity or both.

Any production increase could require contractors to add workers, expand facilities and secure greater supplies of specialised components. Long lead times and limited supplier capacity have slowed efforts to replenish several types of advanced munitions.

The request comes as the Pentagon seeks $18.2 billion in additional war funding for missile interceptors, highlighting the financial and industrial demands created by sustained operations against Iran.