WP: Pentagon pushes defence industry to speed up weapons production

The Pentagon is urging US defence companies to sharply ramp up the production and delivery of weapons, including munitions facing severe shortages amid the war with Iran, according to a Defence Department memo obtained by The Washington Post.

Deputy Defence Secretary Steve Feinberg wrote to industry executives on August 5, giving them no more than 21 days to submit plans aimed at “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities,” according to the previously unreported memo.

“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Feinberg wrote. “We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.”

The directive comes as weapons shortages have emerged as a point of tension between President Donald Trump and the Defence Department, two people familiar with the matter recently told The Washington Post. It also marks the latest in a series of steps taken by the Pentagon and the White House to tackle the issue, which industry experts say may remain largely unresolved until a gridlocked Congress approves additional defense spending.

Trump said on August 6 that the United States has “massive amounts” of munitions, posting on Truth Social that large quantities are being manufactured and shipped to the US as needed.

By Jeyhun Aghazada