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The White House said Wednesday that U.S. munitions stockpiles are sufficient to carry out Operation Epic Fury, and go “much further,” but the Trump administration is still pressing top defense contractors to ramp up production – and quickly.
“President Trump has rightfully been calling on defense contractors in this country to rapidly and aggressively produce American-made weapons because they are the best in the world,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday.
“And the president always likes to get things done as quickly as possible, and so he’s been quite vocal in his efforts to try to speed up our defense industry, to protect our homeland,” she said.
Leavitt’s comments came amid the White House’s first briefing since the start of the U.S. and Israel’s joint-military operation in Iran — Operation Epic Fury – on Saturday.
As the battle continues in Iran, a White House official told Fox News that top executives from U.S. defense contractors are set to visit the White House on Friday to discuss ramping up weapons production. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House Wednesday afternoon for additional details on the stockpile and Friday meeting with defense contractors.
Leavitt continued from the podium that the U.S. weapons stockpile is more than sufficient to execute the mission in Iran.
“Under this president, we have significantly increased our defense budget, which is a good thing for the United States, for our national security and for protecting our homeland with respect to munitions, ammunition, weapons, stockpiles,” she said.
“The United States of America has more than enough capability to not only successfully execute Operation Epic Fury, but to go much further and we have weapons, stockpiles, in places that many people in this world don’t even know about,” she continued.
Leavitt was asked about the stockpile status after President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post on Monday, in which he said the munitions stockpiles have “never been higher or better,” but said the U.S. is “not where we want to be.”
“The United States Munitions Stockpiles have, at the medium and upper medium grade, never been higher or better,” he posted. “As was stated to me today, we have a virtually unlimited supply of these weapons. Wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully, using just these supplies (which are better than other countries’ finest arms!).”
TRUMP SAYS US SANK 10 SHIPS IN IRAN STRIKE, ‘LAST, BEST CHANCE’ TO ACT
He added: “At the highest end, we have a good supply, but are not where we want to be. Much additional high-grade weaponry is stored for us in outlying countries.”
“The United States is stocked and ready to WIN BIG!!!” Trump posted.
Leavitt, on Wednesday, said Trump, in his post, “was pointing out that we had a very stupid and incompetent leader in this White House for four years who gave away many of our best weapons for nothing, for free, to another country very far away by the name of Ukraine.”
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Fox News’ Pat Ward contributed to this report.
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