Pentagon in talks with US automakers to repurpose factories for weapons production: Report

Senior Pentagon officials have held talks with top executives at major US automakers about converting their manufacturing capacity to produce weapons and military supplies, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Officials asked whether the automakers, including General Motors and Ford, could rapidly shift factory capacity toward tactical hardware, missiles and counter-drone technology to supplement traditional defense contractors.

They also asked executives to identify barriers to taking on defense work, from contracting requirements to bidding process hurdles.

Officials framed the expansion of domestic weapons production as a national security imperative.

These talks took place amid reports that US military stockpiles were dwindling due to the wars in Ukraine and Iran.

Separately, the Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a funding request of more than $200 billion to present to Congress to sustain the war in Iran, according to The Washington Post.

The request aimed to ramp up the production of weapons used during the Iran war, three people familiar with the matter told WaPo.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had dismissed reports of munitions shortages, claiming the US had a "nearly unlimited stockpile" of precision bombs.