Published on
19/05/2026 - 7:00 GMT+2
The urgent need for NATO allies to ramp up weapons production in light of the war in Iran is high on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting of military chiefs at NATO HQ in Brussels.
The US army is expending vast quantities of high-quality munitions including significant portions of its highly expensive air and missile Patriot defence systems. Figures released from the Pentagon on 12 May show that the Iran war has cost the US military more than $29 billion so far, with no end to the conflict in sight.
NATO allies are concerned that the complex military hardware that bolsters the alliance's security guarantees cannot be replenished in time to keep pace with the US military's consumption of its own supplies.
