US ammunition stockpiles are running low! Trump will summon major defense industry leaders to the White House this week to discuss speeding up weapons production.

US ammunition stockpiles are running low! Trump will summon major defense industry leaders to the White House this week to discuss speeding up weapons production.

U.S. military actions against Iran have consumed large amounts of ammunition inventory, forcing the Trump administration to urgently launch a restocking program.

According to a Reuters report on Wednesday, the White House will convene a meeting this Friday with executives from major defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, demanding an acceleration in weapons production, while the Pentagon is studying a supplemental budget request of about $50 billion. According to five informed sources, key suppliers including Lockheed Martin and RTX, Raytheon's parent company, have received invitations to attend. The core topic of this meeting is to pressure weapons manufacturers to speed up expansion and production.

The meeting is being held at a time when U.S. ammunition reserves are under sustained pressure from multiple military operations. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 and Israel's military actions in Gaza, the U.S. has consumed billions of dollars worth of weapons inventory, including artillery systems, ammunition, and anti-tank missiles. Meanwhile, the long-range missiles used in the Iran conflict exceed those previously supplied to Ukraine in range.

According to a prior article by Wallstreetcn, multiple media outlets have shifted the focus of the U.S.-Iran conflict to a more direct constraint: how long missile and interceptor stocks can last. A person familiar with the situation said, "If the current intensity of Iranian attacks continues, the stock of interceptors could face depletion risk within days."

It is worth noting that Trump himself stated in a social media post on Monday that the U.S. has "almost unlimited" supplies of ammunition, and that the war can "be fought forever, and very successfully." This statement contrasts sharply with the White House's urgent convening of defense industry executives.

$50 billion supplemental budget on its way, Iran action triggers the push

According to Reuters, citing informed sources, Deputy Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg has recently been leading the Pentagon's supplemental budget efforts, with an application scale of about $50 billion, which may be announced as early as this Friday. The funds will be used to replenish weapons consumed in multiple recent conflicts, including military operations in the Middle East. The figure remains a preliminary estimate and may change.

The immediate trigger for this round of expansion pressure is the U.S. military strike against Iran last Saturday. Reports say the operation used Tomahawk cruise missiles, F-35 stealth fighters, and low-cost single-use attack drones. Raytheon, manufacturer of the Tomahawk, has signed a new agreement with the Pentagon aimed at ultimately increasing annual capacity to 1,000 missiles.

According to the Pentagon's current plans, only 57 Tomahawk missiles will be procured in 2026, at a unit price of about $1.3 million each.

Defense companies face "production priority" pressure, dividends may be restricted

This White House meeting is also the latest manifestation of the Trump administration’s ongoing pressure on defense contractors. In January, Trump signed an executive order requiring identification of contractors with poor contract performance who allocate large profits to shareholders.

According to Reuters, the Pentagon is expected to announce a list of underperforming contractors. Companies on the list will have 15 days to submit a board-approved rectification plan. If the plan is deemed insufficient, the Pentagon may take enforcement actions, including contract termination.

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