The White House has called an urgent meeting this Friday with the directors of the largest U.S. defense manufacturers. The goal is to discuss a significant increase in the production of ammunition and military equipment, as Pentagon stockpiles are critically low due to ongoing combat operations in Iran, according to several sources who requested anonymity.
Officials expected to attend the meeting include the heads of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon’s parent company, RTX, as well as leaders of other key defense suppliers. Sources say the call sends a clear message about the urgency with which Washington wants to bolster its depleted arsenals.
U.S. strategic reserves of weapons and ammunition have been significantly depleted by major operational efforts across multiple fronts. From the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, through the intensive campaigns in the Gaza Strip, to the latest strikes in Iran, the U.S. now has far fewer artillery systems, ammunition, and anti-tank missiles than before.
Particularly concerning is the pace at which longer-range missiles are being expended—categories of armaments now being used more intensively than when they were supplied to Ukrainian forces, sources familiar with the situation say.
One source stated that the administration expects the meeting to serve as direct pressure on the industry to speed up production and expand supply capabilities.
So far, neither Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon, nor the White House has responded to requests for official comment on the matter, while RTX’s refusal to discuss the topic remains unchanged.
This comes in the context of former President Trump’s recent social media post, in which he claimed that the U.S. possesses “an almost unlimited supply of American ammunition” and that, in his view, “wars can last indefinitely, and very successfully, solely using those reserves.”
