The Trump administration is in talks with car manufacturers regarding the production of weapons — WSJ
The Wall Street Journal reports this, citing sources.
The Pentagon is keen to enlist the personnel and manufacturing capacity of car manufacturers to boost production of ammunition and other equipment.
The talks are described as preliminary and wide-ranging. Defence officials stated that American manufacturers may be needed to support traditional defence companies and asked whether these companies could quickly switch to defence work.
Among the companies involved in talks with defence department representatives were US aircraft engine supplier GE Aerospace and specialist vehicle manufacturer Oshkosh.
A Pentagon representative explained that the department “aims to rapidly expand the defence industrial base, utilising all available commercial solutions and technologies to ensure a decisive advantage for the [US] military”.
According to the WSJ, these discussions began even before the war in Iran. For example, Oshkosh began talks with the Pentagon in November following a call from Defence Secretary Pete Hagset for companies to ramp up production. Although Oshkosh already manufactures tactical transporters for the US Army and its allies, the majority of the company’s revenue is not defence-related.
This is not the first time Trump’s team has turned to car manufacturers for help. During Trump’s first term, General Motors and Ford teamed up with medical equipment manufacturers to produce tens of thousands of ventilators at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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