The Pentagon is urging war contractors to double or quadruple production rates focusing on 12 critical weapons due to concerns over low U.S. stockpiles in a potential conflict with China, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment.
“President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [Pete] Hegseth are exploring extraordinary avenues to expand our military might and accelerate the production of munitions,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the Journal. “This effort has been a collaboration between defense industry leaders and senior Pentagon officials.”
Alarmed by dwindling missile inventories, the Pentagon want major war contractors to dramatically accelerate production amid fears the U.S. could be underprepared for a future confrontation with China.
Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said the War Department is planning “massively substantive changes to how we buy our stuff.”
According to the Journal, Deputy War Secretary Steve Feinberg is personally spearheading the push through a new “Munitions Acceleration Council,” holding weekly calls with executives from top weapons manufacturers.
The initiative aims to double or even quadruple the output of a dozen high-demand missiles, including Patriot interceptors, Standard Missile-6 systems, Precision Strike Missiles, Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles, and Joint Air-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM).
The urgency reflects both the strategic challenge posed by China and the depletion of U.S. stockpiles from supporting Ukraine and defending allies during recent conflicts.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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