Trump dismisses depletion reports, cites ‘massive amounts’ of munitions
The Defense Department has told U.S. military contractors to “drive significantly faster, more aggressive delivery schedules and/or increased production for critical capabilities,” according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, who wrote the memo, gave industry leaders 21 days to submit plans describing how they will meet the accelerated pace.
“Years-long development cycles are not acceptable,” Feinberg wrote in the Wednesday memo. “We must dramatically accelerate our program schedules and expand our production capacity now.”
The directive comes as multiple news outlets reported this week that the United States has depleted much of its stockpile of long-range precision missiles in the Iran war. The Washington Post reported that the military launched more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles in just the first month of the conflict, alarming some Pentagon officials. Officials have said the military has been firing the missiles faster than manufacturers can replace them.
President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed the reports, writing on Truth Social that the United States has “massive amounts” of munitions. He added that “large amounts are being manufactured and shipped to the U.S. as needed” and that defense companies “are building the largest number of plants and factories in our country’s history.”
Trump wrote that the “leakers” of these treasonous statements “are being hunted down.” “Long-term jail sentences will be sought!” he added.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the military “has everything it needs to execute at the time and place of the president’s choosing.” He added in a statement to CBS News: “We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the U.S. military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests.”