Pentagon Holds Talks with GM, Ford and Other Automakers to Ramp Up Weapons Production

WASHINGTON — Senior Pentagon officials have begun preliminary discussions with top executives from major U.S. automakers, including General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley, about shifting factory capacity and personnel to produce weapons, munitions, and other military equipment.

The wide-ranging talks, which started before the recent conflict with Iran, also included GE Aerospace and heavy-vehicle maker Oshkosh. Defense officials asked whether these companies could rapidly pivot commercial manufacturing lines to backstop traditional arms contractors and help replenish critically depleted U.S. stockpiles.

The outreach is part of the Trump administration’s broader push to expand America’s defense industrial base and reduce reliance on a narrow group of specialized suppliers. U.S. weapons reserves have been drawn down sharply since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Israeli operations in Gaza, and recent American strikes against Iran, draining billions in artillery shells, anti-tank missiles, and other supplies.

President Trump met with seven major defense contractors in March to address the shortages. This month, he requested a $500 billion increase in the military budget, raising the proposed total to $1.5 trillion.

A Pentagon official told the Wall Street Journal 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.”

For American manufacturing workers and families, the initiative echoes the World War II-era mobilization when Detroit automakers converted assembly lines to build tanks, planes, and munitions — a proven model that strengthened both national security and domestic industry.