WSJ: Pentagon Contacting Automakers to Expand Military Production
The Wall Street Journal reported that senior U.S. Department of Defense officials have held talks with companies including General Motors (GM) and Ford Motor Company, discussing the reallocation of some production capacity toward military manufacturing.
The Trump administration aims for automakers and other American firms to play a larger role in weapons production—a strategy inspired by experiences during World War II.
According to informed sources, senior Defense Department officials have been in discussions with executives from multiple companies regarding the production of weapons and other military goods, including GM CEO Mary Barra and Ford CEO Jim Farley.
With ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Iran depleting U.S. military stockpiles, the Pentagon seeks to leverage these companies' workforce and production capacity to increase output of ammunition and other equipment.
Sources said the discussions remain in an early, exploratory phase. Pentagon officials noted that U.S. civilian manufacturers could support traditional defense contractors and are asking whether these firms can rapidly shift to producing military products.
Other companies involved in the talks include GE Aerospace and Oshkosh, a manufacturer of vehicles and equipment.
A Pentagon spokesperson stated:
"The Department is committed to rapidly expanding our national defense industrial base by leveraging all available commercial solutions and technologies, ensuring our forces maintain a decisive advantage."
These consultations represent another step in the Trump administration's effort to transition defense production into what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth calls a 'wartime state.'
According to sources, the negotiations were already underway before the outbreak of the Iran conflict. The escalation in Iran has further intensified pressure on U.S. ammunition stockpiles, underscoring the military’s need for more commercial partners to quickly ramp up production of tactical equipment such as munitions, missiles, and anti-drone technologies.
In meetings with American manufacturing executives, Pentagon officials framed weapon production expansion as a matter of national security.
Officials asked whether companies could assist the Pentagon in strengthening domestic production capabilities and requested that corporate leaders identify obstacles to taking on additional defense contracts—ranging from contractual requirements to procurement process challenges.
Logan Jones, Strategic Development Director at Oshkosh in Wisconsin, said the company began discussions with the Pentagon in November following Hegseth’s call for increased production.
He noted that the core question of the talks was:
"How can we channel our potential into areas aligned with our core competencies?"
Although Oshkosh produces tactical vehicles for the U.S. military and allied forces, the majority of its $1.05 billion revenue comes from civilian products.
After the United States and its NATO allies began large-scale arms shipments to Ukraine, both Congress and the Pentagon expressed growing concern about domestic defense production capacity.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862593976087564/
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