Pentagon held talks with GM, Ford on weapons production - report

[Military Operation at sunrise]
guvendemir

Senior Pentagon officials held talks with top executives of several companies, including General Motors (GM [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/GM]) and Ford (F [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/F]), to discuss production of weapons and other military supplies, _The Wall Street Journal_ reported.

The officials also approached GE Aerospace (GE [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/GE]) and machinery maker Oshkosh (OSK [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/OSK]), according to people familiar with the discussions.

U.S. manufacturers may need to backstop traditional defense contractors, the officials told the executives, asking them if they could rapidly shift to defense work.

The executives were also asked to identify barriers to taking on additional defense work, from contracting requirements to hurdles in the bidding process.

The preliminary wide-ranging talks started [https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-approaches-automakers-manufacturers-to-boost-weapons-production-19538557] before the Iran war broke out, with the aim of bolstering U.S. manufacturing of arms and other equipment.

The Pentagon is "very motivated to restructure procurement, to move faster, to get things done at lower cost and to remove roadblocks and increase production," a person familiar with the talks told the _Financial Times_. "So they have reached out to GM and Ford and the focus is, on a preliminary basis, what can you do to help?"

"For more than 100 years, GM has supported America's security, safety, and those who protect our nation," the automaker, which has a defense subsidiary, told [https://www.ft.com/content/8fa13289-be72-46c9-bdfc-2cbcf9a44346] _FT_. "While that commitment continues, we do not comment on speculation."

Ford (F [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/F]), which does not have a dedicated defense unit, declined to comment on the report.

Oshkosh (OSK [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/OSK]) entered a dialogue with the Pentagon in November, Logan Jones, chief growth officer for the company's transport segment, told _WSJ_. "We've been out looking at capabilities that we think fit their needs, just proactively."

MORE ON DEFENSE

* Economic Warfare Could Lead To A Global Depression [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4890891-economic-warfare-could-lead-to-a-global-depression]
* Trump Seeks $1.5T For Defense As Pentagon Goes All In On AI Warfare [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4890613-trump-seeks-1-5-trillion-for-defense-as-the-pentagon-goes-all-in-on-ai-warfare]
* U.S., Iran could resume peace talks in Pakistan next week - report [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4575432-us-iran-could-resume-peace-talks-in-pakistan-next-week---report]
* White House budget director won't estimate cost of Iran war [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4575414-white-house-budget-director-wont-estimate-cost-of-iran-war]