Welcome again Foreign PolicyStatus Report, where we prepare for our next release on the road! John and Rishi will be on the field at the NATO meeting in Ankara, Turkey, next month. Drop us a note if you’ll be there too and want to eat or if you know someone we should meet. (US President Donald Trump already confirmed will attend.)
Well, here’s what’s available for the day: Trump is pushing American arms manufacturers to increase production, Hegseth pushes out a The greatest general in Europeand more disruption between Trump and Republicans on Iran the power of war.
Welcome again Foreign PolicyStatus Report, where we prepare for our next release on the road! John and Rishi will be on the field at the NATO meeting in Ankara, Turkey, next month. Drop us a note if you’ll be there too and want to eat or if you know someone we should meet. (US President Donald Trump already confirmed will attend.)
Well, here’s what’s available for the day: Trump is pushing American arms manufacturers to increase production, Hegseth pushes out a The greatest general in Europeand more disruption between Trump and Republicans on Iran the power of war.
The missiles have stopped flying between the United States and Iran (for now) after signing a memorandum of understanding last week to end the dispute of several months. Now begins the calculation of how much of the US arsenal has been depleted and how to rebuild it.
The numbers do not make for encouraging reading—Adm. Brad Cooper, head of the US Central Command, said during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee last month that the US military has used around 14,000 attack weapons, with the Ministry of Defense estimating at the time that the Iran war cost the total cost $29 billion.
New report on Tuesday from the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimated the numbers to be higher when they include ammunition used in air defense weapons such as the Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg is reported told lawmakers last week that the military will need $80 billion to cover the total cost of the war.
The Pentagon did not respond to SitRep’s request for comment.
Pressure from the President. Just a few days before Trump he announced that an agreement has been reached with Tehran, he sent a memory to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth requesting the Defense Production Act to address “systemic constraints at the base of the arms industry.” A 1950 law gives US presidents emergency powers to direct US companies to help strengthen national defense.
Trump he said Monday that automakers such as Ford and General Motors were going to “convert” some of their plants to make weapons. “In fact, we are in a big economic push to make weapons, and some car companies, if they have extra capacity, are making agreements to make missiles,” he said. This month, General Motors and the defense company Lockheed Martin he announced MOU (yes, another) to jointly “explore opportunities to accelerate delivery of critical capabilities.”
And on Wednesday, Trump the host executives from major arms manufacturers in the White House, with Feinberg reportedly pushing them at the meeting to increase production. That same day, Lockheed he announced that it had won a $35 billion contract from the US government to quadruple its production of THAAD systems.
An affordable solution. The military is also looking toward the less expensive end of the spectrum to beef up its defenses. The US military on Tuesday launched a new program to introduce low-cost interceptor systems (prices below $1 million) into the military, with the goal being for companies to prepare initial demonstrations of their systems as soon as this year.
“These are some big, complex systems and difficult problems to solve,” Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told reporters Tuesday. He added that the Army is looking to give companies quick access within weeks to its two test ranges that are meant to simulate the conflict environment in Ukraine. “You see us trying to innovate as fast as we can (and) try different approaches to see what works,” Driscoll said.
The Pentagon isn’t the only one keeping a close eye on U.S. defense production. NATO countries last year committed to spending 5 percent of their annual GDP on defense by 2035, and many of them have already started working toward that goal, as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reminded attendees in Washington during his visit to the US capital on Thursday. “Now, we need supply to meet demand,” he said.
“Allies are investing more money. The budgets are there,” Rutte added, “but the assets we need, the ability to prevent and protect, are not available at the level or speed that our security needs.”
Hegseth has taken out another general without explanation. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the top commander of US forces in Europe since 2024, will now step down on July 2—just halfway through his tenure (which normally lasts three years). He was a special forces veteran is reported He was asked to submit his retirement papers to the Pentagon, although the Defense Department has declined to comment to multiple outlets. The military confirmed Donahue’s departure but did not give a reason.
Donahue is the latest in a growing list of respected military leaders who have been forced out by Hegseth during his controversial and tumultuous tenure as Pentagon chief. In April, Hegseth fired General Randy George as chief of staff. Hegseth has also blocked the promotion of many senior officials. This month, the The Wall Street JournalLara Seligman information that since becoming defense secretary, Hegseth has suspended or fired at least two dozen admirals and generals.
What should be high on your radar, if it isn’t already.
Republicans are pushing back on war power. On Tuesday, the Senate adopted a resolution of war powers to prevent Trump from restarting war with Iran. Four Republicans supported the resolution: Sens. Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Rand Paul. The move was also passed in Parliament this month. Although it was a symbolic vote (it did not have the force of law and could not be vetoed), Trump was reportedly outraged and called the four Republicans who supported the resolution “The losers.” Trump accused the senators of making his job more difficult as his administration works to negotiate a nuclear deal with Tehran.
In a meeting with Republican senators on Wednesday, Trump and Cassidy clashed over Iran. “He raised his voice. I was angry. That’s not appropriate,” Cassidy he told reporters.
Later Wednesday, Cassidy they voted against A different but similar resolution of Iran’s war powers—reversing its previous position–when Paul voted to stay. Trump’s pressure campaign apparently worked, and the move failed. FP’s Rachel Oswald recently wrote about Why is it so difficult? for Congress to curb Trump’s war powers, which we highly recommend reading.
Besent is going to vote for the MOU. The Trump administration has faced strong criticism in Washington, including from some Republicans, over the MOU with Iran. Critics of the deal worry that too many concessions were made to Tehran, warning that the deal will boost Iran’s economy dangerously. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday wanted to make a point about the unpopular deal. FP’s Keith Johnson wrote a a must-read analysis on Besent’s defense of the MOU and whether it will stand.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and US President Donald Trump speak during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on June 24. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Monday, June 29: The US Supreme Court plans to announce additional decisions.
Technical talks between the United States and Iran are expected to resume in Switzerland this day or the next day, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
24: Percentage of Americans who think the Iran war was worth the cost, by month Reuters/Ipsos poll.
“It’s not a federal crime to touch the water.”
–Common ironthe lawyer for David Hearn, the former Olympian who was arrested for allegedly destroying the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington after the Trump administration spent more than $14 million to renovate it. Since the renovation, it has been plagued by green algae, and parts of its new liner have disintegrated, both of which Trump to be blamed on spoilers (without giving evidence).
