President Donald Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to force defense companies to manufacture more semi-automatic rifles and other weapons after the war with Iran depleted US stocks.

Concerns Over US Weapons Stockpiles

The Pentagon has long had concerns about the defense industry’s ability to produce weapons quickly enough. Those concerns were only exacerbated by the US’ war with Iran, in which the US used up significant portions of key missile stockpiles, experts and officials have said.

On Wednesday, Trump said that the last two days of the war were ‘brutal’ and that ‘$200 million worth of bombs’ were used. The Pentagon declined to comment on the order and referred questions to the White House.

The Defense Production Act is a 1950s-era law that allows the president to require companies to prioritize contracts for deliveries deemed vital to US national defense. Trump previously invoked it during the Covid-19 pandemic in his first term to produce things like ventilators.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.