The Pentagon has asked US car manufacturers, like Ford and General Motors, to start making weapons and military equipment. The WSJ says that Donald Trump’s administration has started big talks to get the civilian sector involved in the country’s defence industry. Senior officials are checking how ready car manufacturers are to quickly change production lines to meet defence orders. The Pentagon says it’s really important to use commercial solutions to grow US military capabilities and make sure the US stays ahead of the game when it comes to technology, especially in a time of global instability.
The Pentagon has asked car manufacturers to increase weapons production. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported this. The WSJ says that senior Pentagon officials had meetings with top execs from companies like General Motors and Ford Motor to talk about making weapons and other military equipment.
According to the article, preliminary and wide-ranging talks, which began even before the war in Iran, are taking place against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s desire for car manufacturers and other producers to play a more significant role in weapons production.
The Pentagon said that car manufacturers could be useful in supporting traditional defence contractors, and asked whether these companies could quickly switch to defence contracts.
A Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters that they’re “committed to rapidly expanding the defence industrial base by using all available commercial solutions and technologies to ensure a decisive advantage for the US military”.