Against the backdrop of tight military production capacity and continuously depleted weapons stockpiles, the U.S. Department of War is accelerating efforts to seek industrial support beyond traditional defense contractors. According to reports from the Wall Street Journal and other media outlets, the Pentagon has begun preliminary discussions with major manufacturing companies such as General Motors (GM) and Ford Motor Company regarding the possibility of expanding production of weapons and military equipment.
The Wall Street Journal cited informed sources saying that senior U.S. defense officials have held meetings with corporate executives including General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Ford CEO Jim Farley to discuss the potential role of automotive and manufacturing firms in defense production.
The report notes that these discussions are “preliminary and broad in scope,” and were initiated even before the recent escalation of the U.S.-Iran conflict. Pentagon officials stated that U.S. manufacturers may need to provide supplementary capacity outside the traditional defense contracting system to meet rapidly growing military demand.
In addition to GM and Ford, GE Aerospace and vehicle and machinery manufacturer Oshkosh (OSK) are also involved in related discussions.
According to the Wall Street Journal, defense officials asked companies whether they have the ability to “rapidly pivot to military production” in order to support the defense supply chain during emergencies. Some discussions were even framed in terms of national security, emphasizing the urgency of expanding production capacity.
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Oshkosh is said to have begun contact with the Pentagon as early as November last year, discussing how to expand production capacity. The company currently produces tactical transport vehicles for the U.S. military and allied forces, but most of its revenue still comes from non-military business.
Pressure on weapons stockpiles and budget expansion
This development comes amid ongoing depletion of U.S. weapons stockpiles. Since 2022, the United States and NATO have supplied large quantities of weapons to Ukraine; recent escalations in the Middle East have further increased U.S. military commitments across multiple fronts, putting pressure on ammunition, artillery systems, and anti-tank weapons stockpiles.
Reports indicate that the Department of Defense is pushing to raise its budget to approximately $1.5 trillion to expand production capacity in key areas such as ammunition and drones—potentially a record high.
At the same time, the U.S. military is also evaluating whether more “commercial solutions” should be introduced into the supply chain to strengthen long-term wartime readiness.
People familiar with the U.S. defense system say the core of this discussion is enabling civilian industry to rapidly switch to wartime production when necessary, reducing overreliance on a small number of defense giants.
Pentagon officials emphasized that the Department of Defense is committed to integrating commercial technology and manufacturing capabilities to rapidly expand the defense industrial base and ensure battlefield advantage.
This approach is not unprecedented in the United States. During the COVID-19 pandemic, GM and Ford participated in ventilator production; during World War II, the U.S. auto industry also massively converted production to tanks, aircraft, and military vehicles. Compared with that era, however, today’s defense production system is far more concentrated, dominated by a small number of major contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
Analysts caution, however, that large-scale integration of civilian manufacturing into the defense system still faces multiple challenges, including supply chain compatibility, technical standards, and production cycle constraints. The actual feasibility of such a transition remains to be seen.
