WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is preparing to meet executives from major U.S. defense contractors at the White House to accelerate weapons production after recent military operations — including strikes on Iran — significantly strained American missile stockpiles, according to officials and reports.
According to Reuters, executives from leading arms manufacturers, including Lockheed Martin and RTX (Raytheon), are expected to discuss ways to speed up the production of key munitions used in the Middle East conflict as well as in other operations such as support for Ukraine and Israel.
The Pentagon is also preparing a supplemental budget request of around $50 billion aimed at replenishing weapons used in recent conflicts and expanding production capacity for critical systems such as Tomahawk cruise missiles and air-defense interceptors, Reuters reported.
Officials say the latest confrontation with Iran consumed significant numbers of long-range munitions, increasing pressure on the U.S. defense industrial base to ramp up output quickly.
The White House is urging contractors to prioritize production and supply chain expansion to restore depleted stockpiles.
Defense companies have already begun expanding manufacturing capacity. RTX recently reached an agreement with the Pentagon to significantly increase production of Tomahawk cruise missiles, with plans to scale output toward around 1,000 units annually in the coming years.
At the same time, administration officials are warning that companies failing to meet production targets could face penalties or even the loss of government contracts, as Washington seeks to ensure faster delivery of weapons during a period of growing global conflicts.
President Donald Trump has said the United States has ample munitions and can sustain operations if necessary, though military officials and analysts have acknowledged that the pace of recent conflicts has placed unprecedented pressure on existing stockpiles.
The meeting underscores rising concern in Washington that simultaneous conflicts — including the war involving Iran, support for Ukraine, and tensions across the Middle East — are stretching the U.S. defense industrial base and forcing a rapid expansion of weapons production
