White House Summons Defense Contractors to Boost Ammunition and Weapon Production

▲ U.S. President Donald Trump

The White House is set to summon defense contractors to encourage an increase in ammunition production, Bloomberg reported on June 23 (local time).

The meeting with defense firms comes amid concerns that U.S. weapon stockpiles could be depleted due to the war with Iran, which has been ongoing for approximately four months.

President Donald Trump acknowledged the meeting with defense contractors while speaking to reporters at the White House on June 22, stating, "We have a lot of weapons, but we always want to have a lot of weapons."

"We are strongly encouraging the economy to produce weapons," President Trump said, adding, "Some automobile manufacturers with spare production capacity will also sign contracts to produce missiles, such as the Patriot."

The meeting between the White House and defense contractors is reportedly scheduled for June 24.

Companies expected to attend the meeting include RTX, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, and Boeing.

However, these companies either declined to comment on the meeting or referred inquiries to the White House.

President Trump also stated that the automaker General Motors (GM) would contribute to weapon production.

"I know GM is excited about producing weapons," President Trump said. "GM will convert some of its factories into weapon production facilities to manufacture Patriot missiles, Tomahawk missiles, and more."

GM announced last week that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Lockheed Martin to strengthen the defense industrial base.

GM is expected to form similar partnerships with other defense contractors, such as RTX.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement, "The U.S. military has enough weapons to achieve all of President Trump's strategic objectives," while adding, "President Trump has urged defense contractors to continue producing more American-made weapons."

Previously, President Trump instructed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last week to establish voluntary agreements and implementation plans to strengthen defense industrial capabilities, citing the Defense Production Act (DPA).

The Defense Production Act, enacted during the Cold War, grants the President the authority to directly direct production by private companies for national security purposes.

In January, the U.S. administration issued an executive order prohibiting defense contractors from paying dividends and buying back their own shares, urging them to focus on increasing weapon production.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

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