Trump Invokes Defense Production Act to Expand Munitions Output
The directive activates wartime procurement authority to address identified gaps in U.S. weapons manufacturing capacity, placing the federal government in a direct coordinating role over defense...
President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum invoking the Defense Production Act (DPA) to address constraints in U.S. munitions production, according to a memo released Tuesday, June 16, 2026, and reported by CBS News. The DPA, codified at 50 U.S.C. § 4501 et seq., grants the executive branch authority to direct private industry to prioritize contracts and expand production capacity for national defense materials.
The memo specifically targets munitions production constraints, though the full text of the presidential memorandum — which would detail which industrial sectors, contractors, or supply chain components are subject to the directive — had not been published in full in the Federal Register as of this report's filing. The Federal Register entry, once published, would identify any specific companies, materials, or production timelines covered under the order.
The DPA has been invoked by multiple administrations across both parties. President Biden's administration invoked it in 2022 to accelerate production of solar panel components and infant formula supplies, and separately to support defense industrial capacity during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The Trump administration's current invocation focuses specifically on munitions, a sector that the Pentagon's own fiscal year 2024 and 2025 budget justifications identified as under strain relative to both domestic stockpile requirements and allied support commitments.
The Department of Defense's most recent Industrial Capabilities Report, submitted to Congress, noted shortfalls in artillery munitions and certain missile components, though it did not assign a specific dollar value to the production gap. USASpending.gov records show that munitions-related prime contracts awarded in fiscal year 2025 totaled several billion dollars across contractors including General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems and BAE Systems, though a precise aggregate figure for the category requires a filtered search of the Product and Service Code database under the 'Weapons and Ammunition' classification.
What remains unknown is which specific munitions categories are prioritized in the memorandum, which companies may receive directed orders under DPA Title I authority, and whether any emergency purchase authorities under Title III will be triggered. The full presidential memorandum, once published in the Federal Register, and any subsequent Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) regulatory amendments published by the Department of Commerce would answer those questions.