据报道，特朗普政府已秘密接触包括福特和通用汽车（GM）在内的美国工业巨头，探讨增加武器产量的可能性。五角大楼高级官员已与福特首席执行官吉姆·法利及通用首席执行官玛丽·博拉举行会谈，核心议题是汽车制造商是否可以帮助军方补充武器库。
这些讨论是现任政府更广泛举措的一部分，旨在将军事制造业置于国防部长皮特·海格塞斯所描述的“战时状态”。这一接触让人联想到二战时期的努力，当时底特律车企停止了汽车生产，转而大规模制造轰炸机、卡车和飞机，成为美国“民主兵工厂”的核心。
目前，通用汽车维持着专门的防务部门，而福特的参与主要限于将商业车辆改装供军方和政府使用。政府官员认为，面对因乌克兰和中东冲突引发的全球需求增长，福特和通用可以利用其劳动力和制造能力来支持增加弹药产量。
国防官员与汽车行业高管举行了初步且广泛的讨论，重点关注公司是否能够转向国防工作。据悉，谈判在冲突爆发前就已开始，五角大楼正寻求扩大导弹和反无人机技术等关键系统的生产。通用电气航空（GE Aerospace）和奥什科什防务（Oshkosh Defense）的高管也参与了相关讨论。
The Trump administration has quietly approached US industrial giants including Ford and General Motors about potentially boosting weapons production, according to a report.
Senior Pentagon officials have held talks with Ford CEO Jim Farley and GM boss Mary Barra about whether the automakers could help the military replenish its weapons stockpiles, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The discussions are part of a broader push by the administration to put military manufacturing on what War Secretary Pete Hegseth has described as a “wartime footing,” according to the report.
President Trump meets with Ford CEO Jim Farley as the administration explores tapping automakers to boost US weapons production. REUTERS
The outreach echoes World War II-era efforts when Detroit automakers halted car production to churn out bombers, trucks and aircraft as part of the US’ “Arsenal of Democracy,” the Journal noted.
Today, however, only GM maintains a dedicated defense arm, while Ford’s involvement is largely limited to adapting its commercial vehicles for military and government use.
Administration officials believe Ford and GM could leverage their workforce and manufacturing capacity to support increased munitions output amid rising global demand tied to conflicts including Ukraine and Iran, the article stated.
Defense officials held what the Journal described as “preliminary and wide-ranging” discussions with auto executives focused on whether the companies could pivot to defense work.
President Trump meets with GM CEO Mary Barra in the Oval Office as the Pentagon holds talks with automakers about weapons production. Getty Images
The talks reportedly began before the outbreak of the Iran war and come as the Pentagon looks to expand production of key systems such as missiles and counter-drone technology.
Executives from GE Aerospace and Oshkosh Defense have also been included in the discussions.
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“The Department of War is committed to rapidly expanding the defense industrial base by leveraging all available commercial solutions and technologies to ensure our warfighters maintain a decisive advantage,” a Pentagon official told The Post.
“The Department is aggressively pursuing and integrating the best of American innovation, wherever it resides, to deliver production at scale and drive resiliency across supply chains.”
American factories shifted to wartime production during World War II — a model the Trump administration is now revisiting. National Archives
The Post has sought comment from GM. Ford declined to comment.
“We don’t discuss conversations with our customers,” a rep for GE Aerospace told The Post.
“Oshkosh brings the full strength of a global enterprise, combining scale, financial stability, and advanced, flexible manufacturing, to efficiently ramp production while delivering consistent quality and reliability for both commercial and milita