Pentagon asking US automakers including Ford, GM to produce weapons — report

The US Department of Defense is appealing to leading American automakers to help increase weapons production, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The Pentagon’s discussions with companies including Ford and General Motors comes as concern mounts about the depletion of American weapon stocks due to the wars in Ukraine and Iran. That has led US officials to look beyond traditional defense contractors for additional arms production, the report says.

Those familiar with the talks told the Journal that they began before the start of the Iran war in late February and that they were preliminary. The Defense Department asked if the companies could move quickly to defense production, according to the report.

During World War II, US automakers famously switched to producing military equipment, including trucks and aircraft, as part of the war effort.