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The Pentagon has begun early discussions with major U.S. manufacturers about redirecting production toward weapons and military supplies as conflicts in Iran and Ukraine strain American ammunition stockpiles.
According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the preliminary talks included executives such as Mary Barra of General Motors and Jim Farley of Ford Motor Company.
Senior defense officials met with Barra, Farley and other executives from companies including GE Aerospace and Wisconsin-based Oshkosh, according to people familiar with the discussions who spoke to WSJ.
The talks were described as preliminary and wide-ranging.
Defense officials framed the request as a matter of national security, asking whether the companies could help shore up domestic manufacturing capacity, identify barriers to taking on additional defense work and rapidly shift to weapons production.
The officials asked executives to flag hurdles in contracting requirements and the bidding process.
A Pentagon official said the department is "committed to rapidly expanding the defense industrial base by leveraging all available commercial solutions and technologies to ensure our warfighters maintain a decisive advantage."
The Journal reported that the Iran war and U.S. support for Ukraine have brought down American ammunition stockpiles, making the case for commercial manufacturers to supplement traditional defense contractors.
The discussions predated the Iran war but that conflict's strain on munitions has reinforced the urgency.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has called for the defense industrial base to operate on a "wartime footing."
The Pentagon's recent $1.5 trillion budget request, the department's largest in modern history, calls for major investment in munitions and drone manufacturing.
Oshkosh entered talks with the Pentagon in November following Hegseth's call for increased production, said Logan Jones, chief growth officer for the company's transport segment.
He said discussions centered on "where could we bring that capacity in a way that matches our core capability." Oshkosh already builds tactical troop carriers for the army and U.S. allies, though defense accounts for a fraction of its $10.5 billion revenue.
"We've been out looking at capabilities that we think fit their needs, just proactively," Jones said, adding, "We've heard it loud and clear that this is important."
GM has a defense subsidiary producing a lightweight infantry squad vehicle based on the Chevrolet Colorado pickup and is considered a leading contender to build a larger replacement for the Humvee that would also serve as a mobile power and command base.
Ford and GM previously worked with medical device makers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic to produce tens of thousands of ventilators.
The WWII precedent is explicit: Detroit automakers halted civilian car production during the war to produce bombers, aircraft engines and trucks, earning the country the "Arsenal of Democracy" label.
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