Trump taps defence act to boost US weapons stockpiles worn by Iran war

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act in an effort to bolster delivery of weapons whose stockpiles critics say have been strained by the war in Iran and other conflicts.

The president cited “systemic constraints in the munitions industrial base” in his order for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to make “voluntary agreements and plans of action” to address the depleted US defense capacity, according to a memo dated June 11 and posted in the Federal Register.

It wasn’t immediately clear what those agreements might entail that would go beyond the administration’s engagement with defense contractors like Lockheed Martin Corp and RTX Corp.

The 15-week Iran conflict has spurred concerns that the US has stretched its resources, drawing down stockpiles of critical munitions.

Trump administration officials have emphasised a need to limit resources to allies and partners, such as war-torn Ukraine, as part of a drive to prioritise the domestic industrial base.

At the same time, Hegseth has pushed back on worries over US stockpiles, saying in May that “the munitions issue has been foolishly and unhelpfully overstated” and that “we have plenty of what we need.”

Hegseth’s comments were followed by Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao, who told lawmakers recently that a pause in an arms sales package for Taiwan was meant to “make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury,” referring to the US operations against Iran.

Invoking the Cold War-era Defense Production Act allows the president to take unilateral actions to bolster US national defence capabilities and is a marked escalation of administration efforts to replenish weapons stockpiles.

Congress has been focused on shoring up critical munitions by boosting funding and authorising multi-year contracts for weapons including RTX’s SM-3 and SM-6 interceptor missiles, Lockheed Martin’s THAAD as well as Patriot systems with RTX and RTX-made Tomahawks.

“We need to do that, we need to utilise that,” said Senator Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican and senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. BLOOMBERG