USA want to accelerate weapons manufacturing in the face of possible conflict with China

The Pentagon is pressuring weaponry manufacturers to fold or even quadruple the production of missiles in the face of concern for low inventory in a possible future conflict with China, said the Wall Street Journal This Monday (29).

According to the newspaper, the initiative is conducted by the Acceleration Council of ammunition, led by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Steve Feinberg. The group holds frequent meetings with executives from companies in the sector, including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Andens and Component Suppliers such as propelent and batteries.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the WSJ that “President Trump and Secretary Hegseth are exploring extraordinary roads to expand our military power and accelerate ammunition production”, in partnership with the industry.

Among the priorities are 12 systems considered critical, such as Patriot missiles, Standard Missile-6, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile and the Standoff Missile Joint Air-surface. Patriot is seen as a more urgent case, as Lockheed has difficulty monitoring the discharge of global demand.

Despite the pressure, experts and suppliers point out obstacles. Each missile can take up to two years to assemble, and new contracts require months of testing and hundreds of millions of dollars in investments, the newspaper said. According to WSJChristopher Calio, CEO of RTX (Raytheon controller), sent a letter to the Pentagon in July warning that the sector can only expand production with more firm purchase features and commitments.

O WSJ Remember that Congress approved in July the so -called Big, Beautiful Bill, with additional $ 25 billion for ammunition in five years. Analysts, however, estimate that “tens of billions more” would be needed to meet the goals set.

Some suppliers, such as Northrop Grumman, say they have anticipated investments. The company told the newspaper to have applied more than $ 1 billion to rocket engines, with plans to almost double the capacity in four years. Boeing has also expanded a factory to increase the delivery of essential components to Patriot.

The theme gained urgency after the Ukraine War and, more recently, the 12 -day conflict between Israel and Iran when the US fired hundreds of high cost missiles. In September, the US Army signed a contract of nearly $ 10 billion with Lockheed for the delivery of about 2,000 PAC-3 missiles by 2026. Pentagon’s goal is to reach this volume annually in the future, according to the future WSJ.

Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll told the newspaper that new measures are in preparation, including “massively substantive changes” in the way the government buys weapons.