The Pentagon is pushing weapons manufacturers to quadruple missile production to counter China.

Senior defence figures are alarmed at dwindling US stockpiles and are pushing suppliers to adopt a “breakneck schedule”, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Officials from the US department of defence, recently renamed the department of war, held a series of meetings with the heads of US weapons firms in a bid to convince them to ramp up capacity.

However, some experts have cast doubt on whether the industry can be pushed to adopt the government’s timetable without tens of billions of dollars more in federal spending.

China’s missile programme is shrouded in secrecy, but experts say Beijing is building up a “sophisticated and modern missile arsenal” which could be used to target US assets and those of its allies in the Pacific.

Patriot surface-to-air missiles, the army’s primary defence against ballistic and cruise missiles, are seen as a priority.

Defence figures want the company to quadruple current production levels of the missile.

Lockheed, the manufacturer, has struggled to keep up with widespread global demand for the missiles, which can take up to two year’s to build.

The Pentagon renewed the push in June when Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, and Dan Caine, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, met with several weapons manufacturers and suppliers of critical missile components.