Washington, United States. U.S. President Donald Trump plans to meet executives from the biggest U.S. defense contractors on Friday, the White House said, as the Pentagon works to replenish supplies drawn down by U.S. strikes on Iran and other recent military operations.
Meeting focuses on rebuilding weapons stocks
The meeting underscores the Trump administration’s drive to shore up weapons stocks after the Iran operation drew on munitions.
Companies including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon parent RTX, along with key suppliers, have been invited to attend the meeting, sources familiar with the plan said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the plan is private.
Contract talks and production pressure
Pentagon negotiators have not been able to reach terms with large defense contractors as quickly as they would like, a U.S. official told Reuters earlier this week.
Lockheed did not respond to a request for comment. RTX declined to comment on the meeting.
The administration has been steadily ratcheting up pressure on defense contractors to prioritize production over shareholder payouts. Trump signed an executive order in January to identify contractors deemed to be underperforming on contracts while distributing profits to shareholders.
Stockpile drawdowns since 2022
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and Israel’s military operations in Gaza, the U.S. has drawn down billions of dollars’ worth of weapons stockpiles, including artillery systems, ammunition and anti-tank missiles.
Pre-meeting outreach and ongoing negotiations
Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg held a call with select defense contractors on Wednesday evening ahead of Friday’s gathering, people familiar with the matter told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment.
At the center of the talks are deals with large contractors like Lockheed Martin, two government sources and one industry executive said.
Missile interceptor production plans
In January, Lockheed reached a seven-year agreement with the Pentagon to increase annual production capacity for its PAC-3 missile interceptors to 2,000 units a year from about 600 previously.
The company also announced it expects to quadruple production of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile interceptors to 400 per year from 96.
Rising demand for air defense systems
Demand for air defense systems such as the PAC-3 has surged among the United States and its allies amid heightened geopolitical tensions and the conflict in Iran.
What steps do you think the U.S. should prioritize to rebuild its weapons stockpiles?
