Pentagon gives defense firms 21 days to submit plans for faster weapons production

Published Aug 11, 02:54 PM UTC

The Pentagon has given defense companies 21 days to submit plans for dramatically accelerating production and delivery of critical weapons, driven by depleted munitions stockpiles from recent combat with Iran. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg's August 5 memo demands 'significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules' and calls on industry to propose capital investments and facility expansions. The urgency follows estimates from the Center for Strategic and International Studies showing Patriot interceptor stocks fell from 2,330 to between 759 and 827, and THAAD interceptor stocks from 452 to between 234 and 278. Current delivery timelines are about 42 months for Patriot PAC-3 MSE and 53 months for THAAD. The Pentagon has already awarded contracts to RTX for GEM-T Patriot interceptors and framework agreements with L3Harris to nearly triple PAC-3 and quadruple THAAD propulsion component production. The memo extends beyond Iran-related weapons, identifying 16 critical programs including the Next Generation Interceptor, NASAMS, and space-based missile tracking for accelerated production in the fiscal 2028 budget review.