Trump invokes Defense Production Act to boost munition production

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Trump invokes Defense Production Act to boost munition production

President Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act (DPA) in an effort to bolster the production of key munitions and supply chains as the U.S. looks to address the large expenditure of munitions during the Iran war.

The president said in the memo, which was released Tuesday, that “conditions exist which may pose a direct threat to the national defense or its preparedness programs.”

“In particular, systemic constraints in the munitions industrial base, including limited production capacity, fragile supply chains, long-lead dependencies, and related production bottlenecks, may impair the ability of the United States to produce, sustain and expand the availability of munitions, missiles, and equipment required for the national defense,” Trump said in the 1-page memo to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which is set to be formally released on Wednesday.

Trump’s memo delegates Hegseth, under a section of the DPA, which passed Congress in 1950, to permit companies and the government to strike “voluntary agreements and plans of action to help provide for the national defense.”

The U.S. war with Iran has thrust concerns over munitions stockpiles to the forefront and the ability of manufacturers to produce enough amid heightened levels of expenditures during recent military operations overseas.

“We want these to be set up as an enduring capability. So, expect to see more of these,” Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy Michael Cadenazzi said at the Center for a New American Security’s event on Tuesday.

The U.S. military has used up nearly half of its stockpile of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles and fired over 50 percent of Terminal High Altitude Area Defenses (THAADs) during its seven-week strike campaign against Iran, an April analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies found.

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