Pentagon asks defence firms to boost production of key weapon systems

By Tony Capaccio

  The Pentagon’s No. 2 official asked major US defense companies to accelerate efforts to produce and deliver key weapons systems amid new concerns about shortages and gaps exacerbated by the Iran war. 

Steve Feinberg, the deputy secretary of defense, said the department is targeting accelerated or increased procurement for critical programmes including wide-area surveillance, air-defense sensors and interceptors, and missile-tracking systems.

 

“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” he wrote in an Aug. 5 letter seen by Bloomberg to major defense companies, including Boeing Co., Lockheed Martin Corp. and RTX Corp. “We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.” The Washington Post reported earlier on the letter.

 

 

There have been growing warnings about the state of US weapons stockpiles as the US military attacks Iran and repels its drone and missile strikes on American bases in the region.

 

President Donald Trump has denied the US is running low on munitions, saying on Thursday the country has “massive amounts” of them, while warning of punishment for those who say there’s a shortage.

 

Even so, he also said the US has some systems “where it’s a little bit tighter, and we’re getting them in on a daily basis,” although he didn’t provide any details.

 

In his letter, Feinberg focused on needs beyond those related to the Iran war, including satellite communications and next-generation air-defense systems. Another priority is Lockheed Martin’s Next Generation Interceptor, a program aimed at defending the US from intercontinental ballistic missiles.

 

He asked companies to submit their plans by late August “for more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production capacity” in the critical programs he identified.