Pentagon officials cite industrial‑base constraints, urge stabilized demand and note international partnerships

Pentagon witnesses told the House Strategic Forces Subcommittee that U.S. industry limits and unstable procurement signals constrain rapid fielding of missile‑defense systems, and they described ongoing international partnerships and pilot procurement agreements.

Members who had recently traveled to Israel cited the Israeli Arrow and Iron Dome architectures as evidence that layered defenses can work. Representative Don Bacon said Israel had shot down a high proportion of incoming ballistic missiles in recent conflicts and argued that U.S. investment should emulate proven systems. Lieutenant General Heath Collins said the United States has partnered with Israeli missile‑defense organizations for decades and noted co‑development on upper‑tier systems.

On procurement and industrial base constraints, witnesses recommended stabilizing funding and demand for munitions production lines to avoid boom‑and‑bust cycles that hamper capacity. Collins told members that some delays stem from building production lines and then not funding sustained production, and that a more stable demand signal could improve cadence and availability. Witnesses recommended open, modular system designs and agile prototyping for faster fielding.

On directed energy and foreign systems, Collins said the U.S. side had no funds set aside for Israel’s Iron Beam under the prior supplemental; he added that part of procurement agreements requires a return of investment into the U.S. industrial base, saying “50% of that investment is a payback into the U.S. economy.” The Army noted that the Lower Tier Air and Missile (LTAM) radar is exportable and sold via Foreign Military Sales, citing Poland as a purchaser, and encouraged allies to integrate capabilities through common command systems.

Ending: Members pressed for legislative and budgetary steps to stabilize production lines and accelerate prototypes; witnesses asked for predictable funding to maintain industrial base capacity and cited international partnerships as both a capability source and an industrial opportunity.