America’s Auto Giants May Soon Be Drafted Into the Pentagon’s Arsenal

The factory floor is becoming the new front line. The Pentagon is in talks with General MotorsGM

, FordF

, GE AerospaceGE

, and OshkoshOSK

to repurpose factory capacity for military output as wars strain US stockpiles. Defense spending is ramping fast, with a proposed $1.5T budget prioritizing munitions and drones as urgency builds.

• GM and Ford have proven they can pivot fast, retooling production lines for ventilators during COVID to meet urgent national demand.
• Oshkosh, which generates most of its $10.5B revenue outside defense, has been in talks since November, proactively aligning its capabilities with Pentagon needs.

Arms up: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has framed the push as putting military production on a “wartime footing,” with officials asking companies to flag bottlenecks slowing the shift. GM is already in the mix, producing an infantry squad vehicle and emerging as a frontrunner for the Army’s next Humvee replacement. The machines are warmed up — it’s now the paperwork that needs a wartime footing.