President Donald Trump will convene defense industry executives Friday for a meeting aimed at rapidly replenishing the U.S. stockpile of munitions and weapons expended in the war against Iran, a White House official and a second person familiar with the plans confirmed to Military Times.
Leaders from Lockheed Martin, RTX, L3Harris and other major defense firms are expected to attend.
In January, the president signed an executive order pressuring America’s largest defense contractors to boost weapons production and delivery by investing in new facilities. Contractors deemed “underperforming” would be required to submit remediation plans or risk losing government support.
The opening salvos of Operation Epic Fury have seen thousands of missiles and munitions rain down on Iran. Trump, who has suggested the campaign would last four to five weeks but could go “far longer,” insists the U.S. military has a “virtually unlimited supply” of weapons.
The White House echoed that message Wednesday, arguing America’s arsenal is effectively limitless. By the time of Saturday’s first strikes on Iran, the Pentagon had amassed the largest military buildup in the Middle East since the Iraq War.
“The United States of America has more than enough capability to not only successfully execute Operation Epic Fury, but to go much further,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday. “We have weapons stockpiles in place that many people in this world don’t even know about.”
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in a separate press briefing Wednesday, “We have sufficient precision munitions for the task at hand, both on the offense and defense.” Caine offered no further details.
According to U.S. Central Command, American forces have struck nearly 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions. The U.S. moved to eradicate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ warehouses, headquarters and military communication capabilities. Dozens of senior Iranian figures have reportedly been killed, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as an individual who Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as the architect of a 2020 plot to assassinate Trump.
The Islamic Republic was estimated to hold roughly 2,000 to 3,000 medium-range ballistic missiles, 6,000 to 8,000 short-range systems and thousands of drones at the outset of the war, U.S. officials said. Tehran has since retaliated with hundreds of drones and missiles targeting an array of American military installations and civilian targets across the region.
Six U.S. service members were killed in an Iranian drone attack in Kuwait.
Four of the soldiers were identified Tuesday as Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida.; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota; and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa.
The Defense Department had not identified two of the deceased as of Wednesday afternoon, pending notifications of their families.
Tanya Noury is a reporter for Military Times and Defense News, with coverage focusing on the White House and Pentagon.
Read the full article here