Pentagon Denies Missile Shortage Amid Push for Faster Weapons Production

Facing a shortage in munitions, the Pentagon is asking weapons manufacturers to speed up the production of these key assets. Here is a look at why the stockpile is running low and what the Pentagon is planning to do about the shortage.

Report Details Pentagon Request for Accelerated Weapons Production

According to an August 5 memo from Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, the Pentagon is calling on leaders in the nation's defense industry to ramp up production of weapons as the war with Iran rages on. The news of the request was first reported by The Washington Post, detailing that the Department of Defense (DOD) is giving these firms three weeks to submit their proposals to "drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities."

According to the Post, Feinberg told the firms that "Years-long development cycles are not acceptable. We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now."

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that the memo went out, noting that it is not out of the ordinary for the agency to work directly with weapons manufacturers. Parnell said, "From day one under Secretary Hegseth, this Department has been focused on delivering generational change to the speed, capacity, and lethality of America’s defense industrial base and the Arsenal of Freedom." Parnell went on to say that "Deputy Secretary Feinberg is a generational leader in that effort, driving the hard work of fixing our broken, antiquated, and immensely complex acquisitions system so we can actually produce the weapons our warfighters need at the pace the threat demands."

News of the dwindling stockpile of DOD weapons has been circulating for weeks in Washington, D.C. Reuters reported on August 4 that the U.S. Army has had to lean on a good amount of its stockpile of long-range precision missiles due to the ongoing war with Iran. These surface-to-surface weapons, known in technical terms as Army Tactical Missile Systems and Precision Strike Missiles, have been a cornerstone of the tools used by the U.S. military since the conflict with Iran began five months ago.

Pentagon officials are denying that it is experiencing a weapons shortage, calling the reports "false." President Donald Trump echoed this sentiment, claiming on August 6 that the U.S. still has a "virtual unlimited supply" of missiles.

According to a recent analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the U.S. has gone through about half of its Precision Strike, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), and Patriot interceptor missiles. This report also noted that the military has used about a third of its Tomahawk long-range ground-attack missile inventory since the start of the war in the Middle East.

Lead author of the analysis, Mark F. Cancian, warned that the rest of the inventory could be depleted if the war continues. These estimates of weapons stockpiles take into account procurement figures in public reports and federal budget documents.

The CSIS projects that the U.S. will not rise to pre-war defense missile levels until at least the middle of 2029 at this rate. The prewar Tomahawk missile inventory will not return to normal levels until 2030 or 2031.

Although specific inventory numbers are classified information not available to the public, the CSIS estimates that approximately 65% of Patriot interceptors were used between February and July. This usage would leave less than 850 in the stockpile. For context, that number had been at about 2,330 before the war with Iran started.

Explaining the Weapons Shortage

A perfect storm has been responsible for the dwindling stockpile. The unexpected war with Iran is largely to blame for the shortage. Missiles are notoriously difficult to produce and require long-term planning, complicating the issue.

The military typically uses two to three Patriot interceptor missiles for every attack fired by the enemy. It has been estimated that Iran has fired over 1,000 attack missiles since the start of the war.

However, the problem with the shortage did not start with Iran. Years of elevated American military operations have been a factor in the falling inventory levels. In addition to Iran, a good chunk of offensive missiles were used in the raid that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as well as for strikes targeting ISIS in Nigeria.

The missile shortages are already posing problems for Ukraine and its war with Russia. Ukraine relies heavily on American-produced weapons for its defense capabilities. Allies such as Japan and Taiwan may also soon suffer from the diminishing weapons production in the U.S.

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