Pentagon to double missile production for potential China conflict

The Pentagon is urgently pushing its missile suppliers to double or quadruple production rates due to critically low weapons stockpiles needed for a potential conflict with China.

Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg is leading the “Munitions Acceleration Council,” frequently meeting with and calling executives from top missile makers (like Lockheed Martin and RTX) to rapidly increase output of 12 critical weapons, including Patriot interceptors and Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles.

While contractors are expanding facilities and hiring, they are wary of making massive investments without firm contracts and significant government funding commitments, noting that individual missiles can take two years to assemble.

The recent $25 billion in five-year munitions funding is considered insufficient by analysts, who say billions more are needed to meet the Pentagon’s aggressive goals.

The effort is also tackling supply chain bottlenecks—such as a key Boeing-made seeker for the Patriot missile—and seeking second sources for critical components.

The push is a result of lessons learned from the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the recent depletion of the arsenal during the Israel-Iran conflict, highlighting the need for a sustained, high-volume production capacity.

TCE