U.S. ammunition stocks are in critical condition! Trump will summon military industry giants to the White House this week to discuss speeding up weapons production

# Zhao Ying

Source: Wall Street CN

U.S. military operations against Iran have led to a critical shortage of ammunition stocks. The White House has urgently convened defense giants including Lockheed Martin to press for expanded production, while the Pentagon is simultaneously planning a supplementary budget of approximately $50 billion. This comes just after Trump publicly claimed the U.S. has "nearly unlimited" ammunition.

The massive consumption of ammunition stocks by U.S. military operations against Iran has forced the Trump administration to launch an urgent restocking program.

According to a Reuters report on Wednesday, the White House will convene executives from major defense contractors including Lockheed Martin for a meeting this Friday, demanding accelerated weapons production. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is working on a supplementary budget request of around $50 billion. Five sources familiar with the matter revealed that key suppliers such as Lockheed Martin and RTX, the parent company of Raytheon, have received invitations to attend. The core agenda of the meeting is to pressure weapons manufacturers to speed up production expansion.

The meeting is convened as U.S. ammunition reserves have been under sustained pressure from multiple military operations. Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022 and Israel's military operations in Gaza, the U.S. has expended tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons stocks, covering artillery systems, ammunition, and anti-tank missiles. The long-range missiles consumed in the current Iran conflict have an even greater range than those previously supplied to Ukraine.

As previously reported by Wall Street CN, multiple media outlets have shifted the focus of the U.S.-Iran conflict to a more immediate constraint: how long missile and interceptor stocks can last. A person familiar with the situation stated, "If the current intensity of Iranian attacks continues, interceptor stocks could face depletion within days."

Notably, Trump himself stated in a social media post on Monday that the U.S. has "nearly unlimited" ammunition supplies and that the war can be fought "forever, and very successfully." This statement stands in stark contrast to the White House's urgent convening of defense industry executives.

## $50 Billion Supplementary Budget in the Works, Iran Operation as Trigger

According to Reuters citing sources, Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg has been leading the Pentagon's supplementary budget efforts recently, with the request amounting to approximately $50 billion, which could be announced as early as this Friday. The funds will be used to replenish weapons expended in recent conflicts, including military operations in the Middle East. The figure remains a preliminary estimate and is subject to change.

The direct trigger for this round of production expansion pressure is the U.S. military strike against Iran last Saturday. The operation reportedly deployed Tomahawk cruise missiles, F-35 stealth fighter jets, and low-cost one-way attack drones. Raytheon, the manufacturer of Tomahawk missiles, has signed a new agreement with the Pentagon aiming to eventually increase annual production capacity to 1,000 units.

Under the Pentagon's current plan, only 57 Tomahawk missiles will be procured in 2026, at a unit price of approximately $1.3 million.

## Defense Contractors Face "Production Priority" Pressure, Dividends May Be Restricted

The White House meeting is the latest manifestation of the Trump administration's ongoing pressure on defense contractors. In January, Trump signed an executive order requiring the identification of contractors that perform poorly on contract fulfillment while distributing substantial profits to shareholders.

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

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