The Pentagon has approached major U.S. automakers, including Ford and General Motors, about helping to expand America’s military supplies, marking the first time since World War II that large manufacturers have been asked to contribute directly to the country's munition stock.Discussions have been held among senior defense officials and the chief executive officers of General Motors and Ford Motor, people familiar the conversations have said, according to The Wall Street Journal, as the Trump administration looks to boost production of military equipment as the conflicts in both Ukraine and Iran have drained stocks.Both Ford and General Motors are well known for their contributions to the American war effort during World War II, building aircraft, transportation vehicles, engines and various other necessary parts used in military equipment.Defense officials have framed the request to automakers as a matter of national security, the Journal reported. Discussions remain preliminary, according to the newspaper, and no official contracts have yet been announced.A Pentagon official said in a statement to Newsweek that the Department of Defense "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.""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," the official added. Newsweek has contacted General Motors via Facebook outside of regular working hours for comment. Ford declined to comment when approached by Newsweek. Oshkosh, another manufacturer, told Newsweek it was "committed to regularly evaluating how our available capacity can meet the Department of War’s evolving needs.""We are proud to support national defense and the service members who rely on our capabilities and technologies," the company added. ...Why It MattersThe discussions started before America's war with Iran, the Journal reported, suggesting that the conflict will likely have put an additional strain on an already depleted stockpile, potentially increasing the military's need for commercial partners to assist in munition production. Per the Journal, the Pentagon issued its calls to companies for help boosting production in November.Why the Pentagon Is Turning to AutomakersSince the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran at the end of February, there have been various indications the country's weapons stockpile is being depleted to concerning levels. Within days of the strikes, the Economist estimated that Arab countries using U.S. systems may have used 800 PAC-3 MSE missiles or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, and the U.S. also reportedly had to transfer air defense assets from other regions to the Middle East as stockpiles dwindled.To put the war in context, in the 12-day Israel-Iran