The Trump Administration has approached U.S. manufacturers to use part of their production capacity to make weapons, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal detailed that senior defense officials have met with top industry leaders, including the CEOs of General Motors and Ford.
The goal, the report added, is using personnel and factory capacity to increase production of military equipment as the wars in Ukraine and Iran rapidly deplete stocks. The possibility was framed as a matter of national security, with officials asking them to identify potential barriers.
Talks were preliminary, the WSJ said, citing people familiar with the matter. The Pentagon reacted to the report by saying that the Defense 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."
Elsewhere in the report, the outlet clarified that discussions began before the war in Iran. Ever since, stocks have been depleted further.
The move would not be unprecedented. Manufacturers in Detroit repurposed their factories to make airplanes, engines and trucks during World War II.
General Motors has a subsidiary already making lightweight infantry squad vehicle, but is only a small fraction of the company's revenue and production capacity. It is now expected to be a contender to build a larger vehicle that could replace the Humvee.
