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 stockpiles.

Concerns Over Defense Industrial Base

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 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.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the order and referred questions to the White House. Trump’s order on June 11 tells Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to ‘provide for the making of voluntary agreements and plans of action to help provide for the national defense.’ One of the sections of the Act cited by Trump calls for the establishment of an advisory committee.

Impact on National Defense

The war with Iran has raised concerns about the US’ ability to produce, sustain, and expand the availability of munitions, missiles, and equipment required for national defense. Recent analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that the US expended at least 45% of its Precision Strike Missile stockpile, and roughly half of its stockpiles of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles and THAAD missiles.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.