President Donald Trump is actively seeking assistance to bolster his ongoing military campaign against Iran, as Pentagon officials work diligently to replenish the United States’ arsenal.

Within just a week since the conflict commenced, U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East have deployed thousands of missiles for both offensive and defensive operations, targeting over 2,000 locations.

As Tomahawk cruise missiles continue to strike Tehran, Iran has retaliated with ballistic missiles and Shahed drones aimed at U.S. forces and Gulf states.

With the conflict extending into its second week, concerns are mounting over the U.S.’s ability to arm its regional allies effectively while defending against a prolonged Iranian counterattack.

According to a report by Politico, Trump administration officials at the Pentagon are urgently working to sustain their military efforts.

The U.S. has executed strikes on thousands of targets throughout Iran, and, in collaboration with Israel, has eliminated much of the nation’s top leadership, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, Operation Epic Fury has already significantly depleted the United States’ missile reserves.

‘We focus too much on what nuclear deterrence or proliferation is without taking into context how missile defense plays a role,’ a former US military official warned the Daily Mail. 

Andrius Kubilius, the EU commissioner for defense and space, cautioned that the US does not have enough missiles to provide to the Gulf states and Ukraine to defend themselves on multiple fronts. 

Smoke rises over Tehran on Friday after reported after US strikes on the Iranian capital 

The US has deployed its B1 bombers to US military bases abroad in support of Operation Epic Fury. Above the B1 is shown at RAF Fairford in England

US Central Command says long-range Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs) are being used in combat during Operation Epic Fury

The Pentagon this week requested 100 additional military intelligence officers to assist US Central Command, a sign that the administration may not have properly prepared to boost military intelligence collection efforts before launching the operation. 

‘There’s now an influx of uncleaned intelligence that needs to be fused together and prepared into finalized intelligence reports,’ one military official told the Daily Mail.

Trump seems to be acutely aware of the situation, despite his reassurances the US could sustain a war ‘forever.’

He called top defense executives to the White House on Friday from Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX, Honeywell, and L3Harris Technologies.

They presented proposals for increasing missile production seven days after the US and Israel joined together to launch a blistering offensive on Iran. 

‘I think the meeting [Friday] is around, basically missiles … like you need to ramp these up,’ one defense executive told the Daily Mail. 

‘I don’t think these CEOs and defense primes want to be on X or Truth Social with Trump saying they’re not supporting the US war efforts.’ 

The President confirmed that the companies agreed to ‘quadruple’ production of the ‘exquisite class’ weaponry, including hypersonic missiles and others with high-precision, long-range capabilities.

Trump unleashes deadly stealth B-2 bombers in his Iran campaign

Low-cost Unmanned Combat Attack System (LUCAS) drones are positioned on the tarmac at a base in the U.S. Central Command

US sends massive Iranian warship up in flames in mission to sink nation’s entire Navy

President Donald Trump met with top defense industry executives at the White House today where they are expected to discuss increasing US missile production

Trump may also consider requesting additional funding from Congress to purchase weaponry for the war.

The defense executive estimated that a $50 billion military supplemental package – awarded primarily to the US defense contractors – would help kickstart manufacturing.

Trump may also want to turn to start-up companies that can produce high-impact, low-cost alternatives to the largest US defense companies, the executive added. 

He pointed to Anduril, Singularity and Castelion as companies that can help re-supply US air defense capabilities as the military rips through its stockpiles of bespoke Patriot and THAAD interceptors, which cost millions of dollars per missile. 

‘The primes are the only ones right now that can make these at scale,’ the executive added. ‘But there are other ways to defend key infrastructure, and that’s via space, cyber, and then some of these other lower cost solutions, like directed energy lasers.’

To properly address the growing need for air defense and deterrence, the executive suggested that both primes and the new startups be tapped to help supply US forces in the Middle East.

‘I think you have to deploy everything you can.’

‘I’m expecting a supplemental package and would fully back it. Country over party,’ Democratic Senator John Fetterman told the Daily Mail

Possible Shahed hit at the Abu Dhabi port. This hit appears to be in the French Naval Base

Should the president request a supplemental spending package from Congress, it would need enough support to pass.

‘I’m expecting a supplemental package and would fully back it. Country over party,’ Democratic Senator John Fetterman told the Daily Mail. 

‘It’s necessary to replenish those kinds of weapons systems Patriot, Arrow, and etc.’

‘We’re the arsenal of the free world. I dare anyone to vote against providing our military whatever is necessary.’

The White House has not asked Congress or its appropriators to prepare a supplemental defense spending package yet, according to committee spokespeople. 

Current and former military officials warned the Daily Mail that Iran could wait until US air defense munitions are low before launching drone swarms. They intend to launch thousands of drones at US allies in the region, like the UAE, Qatar or Saudi Arabia. 

Iran’s primary drone, the Shahed-136, costs a fraction of the US hardware that is deployed to shoot them down – a cost that could come under strain in a prolonged conflict. 

‘It’s asymmetric, you can’t keep up the game of $10 million missiles taking out $100,000 drones,’ the defense executive said. ‘That doesn’t make sense.’ 

A former high-ranking US military official told the Daily Mail this week that Iran could be waiting for America’s most bespoke technologies to run out before launching a full counterattack.  

But the White House says the US is not lacking any supplies to fight the war against Iran, which Trump has said could last four to five weeks. 

He teased that ‘wars can be fought forever,’ further concerning military officials.

President Donald Trump gets out of the driver’s seat of Lockeed Martin’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system during a Made in America showcase on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, July 15, 2019

‘The US military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and weapons stockpiles to continue demolishing the Iranian regime and achieve the goals of Operation Epic Fury,’ White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Mail.

As for the Friday White House meeting with the primes and other defense executives, the press secretary says that it was scheduled ‘weeks ago.’  

‘The President will continue to call on these US companies to more speedily build American-made weapons, which are the absolute best in the world,’ Leavitt added.

The administration’s stated goals for this war include annihilating Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, destroying its Navy and collapsing the proxies stood up by Iran across the region, like Hezbollah, the Houthis and Hamas. 

The Palm Jumeirah Fairmont hotel in Dubai was hit by a Shahed suicide drone launched from Iran hours after US and Israeli air strikes hit Tehran on Saturday