Donald Trump urges faster U.S. weapons production at Pennsylvania defense summit
President Donald Trump addressed the Defense and Innovation Summit at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, urging top defense executives to accelerate weapons production and expand manufacturing capacity. He warned that ongoing wars in Ukraine, the Middle East and Iran are straining U.S. stockpiles and exposing bottlenecks in the industrial base. Trump said, “We have the best quality in the world, but we need a little more speed.”
He highlighted nearly $10 billion in pledged investments, including a $2.5 billion shipbuilding deal between Rhoads Industries and General Dynamics’ Electric Boat and a $1.5 billion order with Hanwha, as well as funding for AI, robotics and advanced manufacturing. The Pentagon announced a National Security Finance Fund and long‑term procurement contracts that have already attracted roughly $20 billion in private investment to boost production of Patriot, Tomahawk and THAAD systems.
Trump also announced a plan to raise U.S. defense spending to $1.5 trillion next year, framing the increase as essential for national security and job creation in American factories.