Trump gathers US defense industry to speed up weapons production - Reuters
The Donald Trump administration plans to meet with the heads of the largest US defense contractors at the White House on Friday to discuss accelerating weapons production.
This was reported by Reuters, according to Censor.NET.
What is known?
According to the publication, the Pentagon is working to replenish its stocks after strikes on Iran and several other recent military efforts.
Specifically, representatives from Lockheed Martin and RTX from Raytheon have been invited to the meeting.
Reuters writes that the meeting highlights Washington's urgent need to replenish its weapons stockpiles after the start of the operation in Iran.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 and Israel's military operations in Gaza, the US has reduced its weapons stockpiles by billions of dollars, including artillery systems, ammunition, and anti-tank missiles.
"The main goal of the meeting will be to pressure arms manufacturers to act faster to increase production," said the publication's interlocutor.
Raytheon, the manufacturer of Tomahawk missiles, has a new agreement with the Pentagon to increase production to 1,000 units per year. The Pentagon currently plans to purchase 57 missiles in 2026 at an average cost of $1.3 million each.
The administration is constantly increasing pressure on defense contractors to prioritize production growth over shareholder payouts.
The Pentagon is expected to publish a list of contractors who are not fulfilling their contracts. These companies will have 15 days to submit plans approved by their boards of directors to remedy the situation. If these plans are deemed insufficient, the Pentagon may take enforcement action, including termination of contracts.
What preceded it?
- Earlier, Donald Trump stated that the US has an unlimited supply of weapons and can wage war "forever."
- At the same time, he claimed that his predecessor Joe Biden had given Ukraine hundreds of billions of dollars worth of American weapons for free.
- Trump believes that the United States "stupidly" gave Ukraine significant amounts of ammunition for free, which could have been sold to other countries, particularly in the Middle East.
