The Pentagon is pressing the U.S. defense industry to accelerate production of weapons to help replenish its diminished stockpile of munitions, including those depleted in the ongoing war with Iran. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement that the department was actively focused on boosting munitions acquisitions to provide “the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands.”

Efforts to Replenish Stockpiles

Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg wrote to industry leaders, 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 memo comes as recent fighting with Iran used up more of the U.S. military’s already diminished stockpiles of advanced missile interceptors, potentially putting American troops at more risk if hostilities resume.

A defense spending bill is currently stalled in Congress, with lawmakers fuming over President Trump’s military action against Iran and resisting the White House request to substantially increase Pentagon spending. The number of Patriot interceptors fell from 2,330 before the war to between 759 and 827, a decrease of at least 65% since before the conflict began.

Original reporting: NBC6 Miami — read the source article.