The Pentagon is moving to accelerate weapons and ammunition production and has already asked defense companies to submit plans for increasing deliveries. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed that the effort is underway.
The Washington Post previously reported, citing an internal document, that Pentagon contractors had been instructed to increase both the pace of weapons production and deliveries to US forces. According to the newspaper, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg gave the companies 21 days to prepare proposals for a substantial increase in supplies.
Parnell told USA Today that direct engagement with defense industry executives to speed up production has long been part of the Pentagon’s approach. Since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took office, he said, the department has been pursuing changes aimed at increasing the speed, capacity and lethality of the US defense industrial base and the so-called Arsenal of Freedom.
Feinberg is leading a separate part of that effort focused on overhauling the procurement system. Parnell described the existing process as inefficient, outdated and excessively complicated. The goal is to ensure that the United States can produce weapons at the pace the Pentagon believes is required by the current threat.
The push comes after earlier reports of problems involving ammunition stocks and supplies. NBC, citing sources, reported that Pentagon leaders urgently convened a meeting on the issue after US President Donald Trump personally called Feinberg and criticized his performance as the official responsible for supplies.