The Pentagon has approached Ford and General Motors about using their factories to bolster U.S. weapons production and domestic defense manufacturing capacity, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Defense officials framed bolstering weapons output as a national-security matter and asked companies whether they could help and what barriers — from contracting requirements to bidding processes — would apply, the report says. General Motors' GM Defense already builds an infantry carrier and up-armored Suburbans, and Oshkosh has discussed where it could add capacity, Logan Jones, chief growth officer for Oshkosh's transport segment, told the Journal.
Ford sold its defense arm, Ford Aerospace, in the 1990s after producing missiles such as the Sidewinder, which observers note makes any renewed defense role notable as the White House also urges automakers to ramp up vehicle production. The talks come amid wider industry conversations about makers building drones or air-defense components, though no new commitments were reported.
This summary is based on coverage by The Autopian.
Read the full article at The Autopian.
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