Washington, Oct 21 (IANS) The Trump administration is seeking a $1.5 trillion investment in America’s military as it moves to accelerate weapons production, expand autonomous warfare capabilities and reduce dependence on foreign defence supply chains, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
Addressing defence industry workers during visits to Ohio and Wisconsin, Hegseth said the Pentagon was undertaking a sweeping transformation of its procurement system to prepare for future conflicts involving artificial intelligence, robotics, unmanned weapons and advanced communications.
The proposed spending would represent a substantial expansion of American military investment.
Speaking at Sierra Nevada Corporation in Dayton, Ohio, he said the administration wanted to strengthen American manufacturing and develop military technologies faster than traditional procurement systems allowed.
“We’re asking for a $1.5 trillion investment to make a generational investment, to ensure that we remain the strongest and most powerful military in the world,” Hegseth said.
He also called for Congress to approve a reconciliation package providing at least $350 billion for defence-related priorities.
The Defence Secretary said the additional resources were needed to give manufacturers long-term certainty and encourage investment in new production facilities.
He argued that the Pentagon could no longer afford acquisition programmes taking a decade or longer to deliver weapons and military equipment.
Instead, the department wanted critical capabilities available within months or a few years.
Hegseth said future conflicts would increasingly depend on the ability to operate across multiple domains, including space, underwater environments, cyberspace and autonomous systems.
He cited Project Meridian, a recently launched initiative intended to improve connectivity across military platforms and accelerate the integration of emerging technologies.
The department was also developing an Autonomous Warfare Command, which he described as a four-star command with responsibilities for joint robotics, artificial intelligence and unmanned military systems.
The proposed command would help coordinate the deployment of autonomous capabilities across the armed forces.
Hegseth said technological superiority would be insufficient without secure domestic production and reliable supply chains.
“Whoever controls subsea and cislunar is going to destroy control the next fight,” he said, according to the preliminary transcript.
The statement appeared to refer to competition for control of underwater and space-related operational environments.
At Sierra Nevada Corporation, Hegseth highlighted work on the next-generation Survivable Airborne Operations Center, a military aircraft designed to preserve presidential command and control during a national emergency, including a nuclear crisis.
He also referred to the Brawler and Mauler air-defence systems, saying American commanders were employing them in two operational theatres to protect US forces against asymmetric attacks.
The Defence Secretary said the Pentagon wanted to open procurement opportunities to smaller manufacturers and emerging technology companies rather than rely predominantly on established defence contractors.
He said the administration aimed to create additional major defence suppliers by encouraging competition and providing longer-term purchasing commitments.
Under the proposed approach, companies investing in new factories, equipment and workers could receive contracts covering five to seven years of production.
Hegseth said this would allow manufacturers to expand capacity while helping the government secure predictable prices.
During his Wisconsin visit, he emphasised the role of small businesses in producing components for advanced weapons, aircraft and radar systems.
Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler said a joint initiative involving the Pentagon was supporting smaller defence manufacturers and had approximately $175 million in prospective deals involving critical minerals and industrial inputs.
The Defence Secretary also pledged that the Pentagon would pass a full financial audit before the end of the administration in 2028.
He acknowledged that the department had repeatedly failed to meet congressional audit requirements and said stronger financial accountability would accompany the expansion in military spending.
Hegseth linked the industrial modernisation programme to the administration’s broader military strategy, including operations in the Middle East.
He said he had recently visited US Central Command personnel involved in efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
The United States maintains the world’s largest defence budget and operates an extensive network of military bases, alliances and overseas deployments. Its defence industrial base includes major contractors as well as thousands of smaller companies producing specialised components and technologies.
–IANS
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