US Pentagon asks defence firms to boost production of key systems amid concerns over shortage

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon’s No. 2 official asked major US defence companies to accelerate efforts to produce and deliver key weapons systems amid new concerns about shortages and gaps exacerbated by the Iran war.

Steve Feinberg, the deputy secretary of defence, said the department is targeting accelerated or increased procurement for critical programmes including wide-area surveillance, air-defence sensors and interceptors, and missile-tracking systems.

“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” he wrote in an Aug 5 letter seen by Bloomberg to major defence companies, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin and RTX.

“We must dramatically accelerate our programme schedules and expand our production capacity now.” The Washington Post reported earlier on the letter.

There have been growing warnings about the state of US weapons stockpiles as the US military attacks Iran and repels its drone and missile strikes on American bases in the region.

US President Donald Trump has denied the US is running low on munitions, saying on Aug 6 the country has “massive amounts” of them, while warning of punishment for those who say there’s a shortage.

Even so, he also said the US has some systems “where it’s a little bit tighter, and we’re getting them in on a daily basis”, although he didn’t provide any details.

In his letter, Feinberg focused on needs beyond those related to the Iran war, including satellite communications and next-generation air-defence systems. Another priority is Lockheed Martin’s Next Generation Interceptor, a programme aimed at defending the US from intercontinental ballistic missiles.

He asked companies to submit their plans by late August “for more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production capacity” in the critical programmes he identified. BLOOMBERG