During a recent address to the United Nations General Assembly, President Donald Trump highlighted a major surge in defense manufacturing capacity, stating:

"In addition, in the very near future, massive munition plants will be opening. There are 18 of them being built by the greatest defense companies in the world right now-18 under construction. Some of them very quickly will be completed. They're almost there. And that rapid construction will be leading to very rapid deployment of missiles, ammunition of every type..."

The claim refers specifically to munitions, missile, and artillery manufacturing sites currently under construction or undergoing major facility builds across the United States.

Driven by the urgent need to replenish depleted stockpiles and scale up production for critical defense hardware, the U.S. Army and major defense contractors are executing a historic industrial expansion. Here is a breakdown of the 18 major munition facility projects powering this effort.

The 18 Munition & Missile Plant Projects

These 18 sites consist of brand-new manufacturing campuses alongside new, dedicated production facilities constructed within established defense facilities and private contractor sites.

Driven by the need to replenish defense stockpiles and scale up production for critical equipment, both the Department of Defense (DoD) and major defense contractors are executing a historic industrial buildout.

Here is a quick look at what those 18 projects actually are and where they are located.

The 18 Defense and Munitions Facilities Breakdown

While a few are brand-new ground-up campuses, the majority represent massive new building additions and modern production lines constructed within existing secure military arsenals and contractor footprints.

1. Primary Ammunition & Shell Plants (AAPs)

1. Mesquite Artillery Shell Facility (Mesquite, TX): A newly constructed commercial-partnership factory designed specifically to forge 155mm steel shell casings.
2. Iowa Army Ammunition Plant (Middletown, IA): New automated assembly and packing facilities for artillery shells and explosive rounds.
3. Scranton Army Ammunition Plant (Scranton, PA): Major facility expansions for forging metal parts for heavy artillery shells.
4. Radford Army Ammunition Plant (Radford, VA): A ground-up build replacing WWII-era lines with modern solventless propellant manufacturing.
5. Holston Army Ammunition Plant (Kingsport, TN): New chemical manufacturing buildings for advanced explosive compounds.
6. Lake City Army Ammunition Plant (Independence, MO): Modernized production facilities for small-arms ammo and Next Generation Squad Weapons.
7. Blue Grass Army Depot (Richmond, KY): Newly converted facilities focused on chemical processing and high-explosive mixing.
8. Crane Army Ammunition Activity (Crane, IN): Modern pyrotechnic complexes and updated bomb-loading facilities.
9. McAlester Army Ammunition Plant (McAlester, OK): New expansion bays for precision bomb loading and missile storage.

2. Essential Arsenals & Weapon Depots

1. Watervliet Arsenal (Watervliet, NY): Constructing high-precision rotary forging operations to manufacture cannon barrels and mortar tubes.
2. Rock Island Arsenal (Rock Island, IL): Machining plant updates dedicated to tactical gun mounts and artillery carriages.
3. Pine Bluff Arsenal (Pine Bluff, AR): Expanded facilities for chemical defense equipment and smoke munitions.
4. Anniston Army Depot (Anniston, AL): Modernized production lines for heavy combat vehicle overhauls.
5. Letterkenny Army Depot (Chambersburg, PA): Expanded maintenance and repair bays for air-defense missile systems.
6. Red River Army Depot (Texarkana, TX): Upgraded fabrication facilities for armor plating and ground combat vehicles.
7. Tooele Army Depot (Tooele, UT): Brand-new automated facilities built for ammo disassembly and demilitarization.

3. Solid Rocket Motor & Missile Facilities

1. L3Harris / Aerojet Rocketdyne (Camden, AR & Huntsville, AL): Expanded rocket motor manufacturing lines to alleviate critical missile supply bottlenecks.
2. Lockheed Martin / Raytheon Facilities (Camden, AR & Troy, AL): New missile assembly buildings and integration bays for interceptors and precision strike systems.

The Takeaway

When hearing about "18 plants," it is easy to picture 18 brand-new corporate campuses popping up in empty fields. In reality, the figure reflects a mix of ground-up facilities (like the new Mesquite, TX plant) and major new capital construction projects located within the Pentagon’s 15-year, $18+ billion Organic Industrial Base Modernization Plan.

Together, these 18 sites represent one of the largest domestic re-armaments and manufacturing pushes in recent U.S. history.