Senior Pentagon officials have held talks about producing weapons and other military equipment with top executives from companies including General Motors and Ford, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing familiar sources.
The preliminary and extensive talks, which began before the war with Iran, come as the Trump administration seeks to give automakers and other American manufacturers a greater role in weapons production, the WSJ notes.
Officials said U.S. manufacturers may need to support traditional defense contractors and questioned whether companies could quickly shift to production for defense purposes.
Among the companies participating in discussions with Pentagon officials were GE Aerospace, as well as the Oshkosh vehicle and machinery company.
A Pentagon official told Reuters that the Defense Department is "committed to rapidly expanding the defense industrial base, leveraging all available commercial solutions and technologies, to ensure our forces maintain a decisive advantage."
