Pentagon asks US defence companies to boost weapons production amid concerns over depleting stockpile

The US Pentagon is reportedly urging domestic defence companies to ramp up weapons production to replenish a depleted munitions stockpile, including supplies used during the ongoing war with Iran.

In a statement released on Saturday (local time), Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department was actively focused on strengthening munitions acquisitions to provide "the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands," The Washington Post reported.

Parnell also confirmed that the department had worked over the past week to accelerate the process substantially, but stressed that the effort was part of a wider modernisation drive that began before the five-month-old conflict.

The development comes weeks after several media reports indicated that a depleting stockpile of munitions was the primary reason for US President Donald Trump ordering a halt to the strikes, shortly after he directed the military to expand the offensive.

Pentagon officials write to defence industry leaders

Earlier this week, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg wrote to industry leaders on Wednesday, giving them no more than 21 days to submit plans to "drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities," The Washington Post reported. The Pentagon official said the department is focusing on procurement for programs including wide-area surveillance, air-defence sensors and interceptors, and missile-tracking systems.

In a letter written to defence companies such as Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp. and RTX Corp., Feinberg said, "Years-long development cycles are not acceptable," and added, “We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.”

US munitions stockpile depleting? Here's what Trump said

The directive to US defence companies came as tensions between Trump and the Defence Department have been mounting. Additionally, citing industry experts, the report added that the order is the latest in a series of steps taken by the Pentagon and White House to tackle an issue that may remain unresolved until Congress approves additional defence spending.

On Thursday, the US President reiterated that Washington has “massive amounts” of munitions. In a Truth Social post, he wrote that “large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the US as needed.”

Earlier in July, Trump dismissed reports that suggested Washington's munitions stockpile was depleting and made these remarks to The Wall Street Journal, adding, "we have far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need."

His comments to The Wall Street Journal came days after The New York Times reported that the administration had halted plans to expand military operations in Tehran, amid fears that a prolonged conflict could further drain the Pentagon's already reduced supply of Patriot missile interceptors and other air defence munitions stationed in the Middle East.

Pentagon announces framework to boost supply of munitions

According to The Washington Post, in recent months, the Pentagon announced several "framework agreements" with the largest US defence contractors and emerging startups to boost the supply of both low-cost munitions and sophisticated air defence weapons, including the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) and Patriot missile interceptors.

In the first month of the US-Iran war, the US military reportedly fired off over 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles and more than 1,000 Patriot and THAAD interceptors. Washington also used more than 1,300 of the Army’s tactical ballistic missiles in the initial weeks of fighting.

Later in April, a CNN report indicated that nearly half of the US stockpile was depleted following the war in Iran and raised a "near-term risk" of running out of weapons if a future conflict arises. According to an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) cited in the report, the forces depleted a significant portion of their missile stockpiles during the first seven weeks of the war with Iran. This includes about 45 per cent of Precision Strike Missiles, at least half of its THAAD interceptors and roughly 50 per cent of its Patriot air defence interceptor missiles. The figures are reportedly broadly consistent with Pentagon data on US stockpiles.

The military has also used around 30 per cent of its Tomahawk missiles, more than 20 per cent of its long-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, and about 20 per cent of its SM-3 and SM-6 missiles. According to the analysis, replacing these systems could take Washington at least four to five years.

A CSIS analysis from last week estimated that the global stockpile of Patriot missiles had fallen to fewer than 827, down from around 2,200 before the war. The number of THAAD missiles had also dropped to below 278, compared with 452 before the conflict.

The Pentagon's push to boost production highlights growing concerns over US munitions stockpiles and the time needed to replenish them.