CEO of boeing, lockheed martin and honeywell He arrived at the White House on Wednesday for a meeting with President Trump as the administration pressures major defense contractors to ramp up weapons production over concerns about U.S. missile and ammunition stockpiles.
The talks come amid ongoing peace talks with Iran following U.S. military operations in the country, with the White House increasing the urgency to replenish key weapons systems and reassure allies that the U.S. defense industrial base can keep up with demand.
Production activities are already underway.
On Wednesday, the Missile Defense Agency awarded Lockheed Martin a $35.3 billion single-source contract to produce the THAAD interceptor through June 2032, with $842.9 million obligated at the time of the contract. The same notice also includes a $398.7 million award to Raytheon for advanced intermediate-range air-to-air missiles, including sales to U.S. allies.
The White House also asked Congress on Wednesday for an additional $87.6 billion in spending, primarily to pay for the Iran war. On Tuesday, the Senate adopted the Iran War Powers Resolution directing President Trump to end U.S. hostilities with Iran, a symbolic bipartisan rebuke that underscored the president’s growing scrutiny of military strategy and peace negotiations in Congress.
President Trump earlier this month invoked the Defense Production Act to speed up weapons production, citing systemic constraints at military bases such as limited production capacity, weak supply chains and long lead times.
But ramping up weapons production typically occurs over years rather than months, complicating the Trump administration’s push to accelerate production.
The White House is also asking contractors to prioritize existing Defense Department contracts, faster delivery times and U.S. manufacturing capacity over shareholder payments. And last week, a key Senate committee approved a bill codifying Trump’s January executive order requiring defense contractors to seek Pentagon approval for stock buybacks and dividend issues. Defense contractors oppose this mandate.
Wednesday’s meeting follows a meeting with executives from major defense companies at the White House in March. lockheed martin, RTX, boeing, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, honeywell aerospace and L3 Harris.
The administration is seeking to expand production of the Patriot, THAAD interceptors, Tomahawk cruise missiles and AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, but industry executives have warned that major investments will require Congressional funding.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte backed President Trump’s push to expand weapons production, saying at the White House on Wednesday that the United States has the industrial capacity to do it. He called the U.S. defense industrial base “one of the strongest in the world,” noting more than $50 billion in sales and nearly $300 billion in orders to Europe and Canada last year.
