The Pentagon is putting pressure on arms manufacturers: The United States needs to accelerate the production of weapons and ammunition for a potential war with Iran.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Defense is urging domestic arms manufacturers to significantly accelerate the production and delivery of weapons and ammunition. According to reports in American media, the reason for this is the rapidly dwindling reserves of some key systems that the United States is consuming during the ongoing war with Iran. This call from the Pentagon comes despite previous claims by President Donald Trump that the United States does not suffer from a shortage of ammunition.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg on Wednesday contacted representatives of major U.S. arms companies and demanded specific plans to increase production capacity. According to an internal document from the Department of Defense, reported by The Washington Post, the companies have 21 days to submit their plans.

Feinberg is demanding not only faster delivery of weapons already being produced, but also a significant reduction in manufacturing and development lead times. Among the companies contacted are Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and RTX. At the same time, the Pentagon warns that the problem does not only concern ammunition used in the conflict with Iran. The requests also include satellite communications and new air defense systems.

According to available data, the situation is particularly serious for some anti-missile systems. Since the beginning of the war, the U.S. military has reportedly consumed approximately 80 percent of THAAD missiles and roughly half of the Patriot interceptor stocks. The reserves of tactical ballistic missiles ATACMS and PrSM have also been significantly reduced. Reuters previously reported that the United States had almost exhausted its supplies of some long-range precision weapons during the several-month conflict.

At the same time, the Pentagon is facing financial and production constraints. Experts say that simply increasing the budget does not automatically mean an immediate increase in production. Production is complicated by a shortage of workers, limited factory capacity, supply chains, and long lead times. The Washington Post reported in July that the war with Iran is putting increasing pressure on both the U.S. budget and the defense industry.

Trump, however, publicly denies claims of a critical ammunition shortage and states that the United States has extensive reserves and is manufacturing or importing more weapons. The discrepancy between the president's rhetoric and the urgency of the Pentagon's requests, according to American media, indicates a growing problem that could have an impact not only on the war with Iran but also on Washington's ability to respond to potential future conflicts.

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