OPINION:
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently praised America’s defense industry for answering the call to strengthen the nation’s military readiness and expand production capacity. He was right to do so.
Across the defense industrial base, companies are making historic investments to increase production, expand facilities, strengthen supply chains and deliver the capabilities needed to deter adversaries and support allies.
Still, recent conflicts have also exposed a reality that cannot be ignored: Replenishing America’s missile stockpiles and sustaining military advantage will require far more than any single company or sector can provide.
The United States possesses the world’s most technologically advanced missile arsenal. Yet modern conflicts are consuming precision munitions and air defense interceptors at rates few anticipated.
In just 12 days of fighting between Israel and Iran in 2025, more than 150 Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, interceptors were reportedly used to defend against Iranian ballistic missile attacks. That was nearly a quarter of U.S. inventory.
Analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies suggests that recent operations against Iran may have significantly drawn down inventories of several critical munitions, underscoring the demands of modern warfare.
Pentagon leaders have rightly emphasized that the United States retains the capabilities necessary to meet current operational requirements. The challenge is not whether America can fight today; it is whether America can sustain deterrence and prevail tomorrow.
This begins with production.
Manufacturing a missile may take weeks, but building the supply chain that makes that missile possible can take years. Semiconductors, propulsion systems, castings, electronics, rare earth materials and specialized components move through a complex industrial network that stretches far beyond traditional defense contractors.
Many of those suppliers are already under pressure to increase capacity while reducing dependence on foreign sources.
The encouraging news is that American industry is responding.
Defense prime contractors are investing $10.8 billion to expand production lines, modernize facilities and strengthen supplier networks. For example, RTX invested $115 million to expand its Huntsville, Alabama, missile integration facility, increasing the plant’s delivery capacity by more than 50% while significantly increasing production of its Tomahawk, AMRAAM, SM-3 and SM-6 missiles by up to four times current levels.
Lockheed Martin broke ground in May on a $150 million investment in its Pike County, Alabama, facility to scale up production of crucial missiles and defense systems. The expansion will quadruple THAAD missile production from 96 units per year to 400.
Still, scaling production fast enough to meet future requirements will require an all-of-the-above approach.
Traditional defense contractors bring unmatched experience, infrastructure and systems integration expertise. Defense technology firms are introducing new manufacturing techniques, software-driven capabilities and lower-cost solutions. Advanced manufacturers from outside the defense sector are contributing additional production capacity and industrial know-how.
That collaboration is already taking shape. Automotive manufacturers such as General Motors and Ford are exploring partnerships with defense companies to support weapons production.
Defense technology firms such as Anduril and CoAspire are helping develop and manufacture lower-cost cruise missiles and autonomous systems designed to complement traditional precision munitions.
Across the industrial base, new partnerships are emerging that would have seemed unlikely only a few years ago. Government must embrace the same spirit of collaboration.
Mr. Hegseth has spoken frequently about the need to rebuild military readiness and strengthen America’s defense industrial capacity. Doing so will require more than larger budgets. It will also require faster contracting, more predictable demand signals, streamlined acquisition processes and a willingness to bring new industrial partners into the defense ecosystem.
The administration’s proposed defense investments and requests for additional munitions replenishment funding recognize the scale of the challenge. Congress should do the same.
The lessons from Ukraine, the Middle East and the growing competition with China are becoming increasingly clear. Military strength in the 21st century depends not only on possessing the world’s most advanced weapons but also on the ability to produce, replenish and sustain them at scale.
China understands this reality. Beijing continues to invest heavily in missile production, advanced manufacturing and military modernization. America’s advantage will not be preserved through innovation alone. It must be reinforced by industrial capacity.
Mr. Hegseth is correct that industry has answered the call. The investments are being made. The partnerships are forming. The momentum is real. Now the task is to build on it.
• Col. Rob Maness is retired from the U.S. Air Force and is CEO and founder of Iron Liberty Group LLC.
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