How a Weak Defense Industrial Base Harms US Military

The Daily Signal Podcast

The Daily Signal

News, Government, Politics, Daily News

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 6 September 2024

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The U.S. military is only as strong as its ability to procure needed weapons systems and other defense materials, and right now, America’s defense industrial base is sorely lacking, experts say. “Unfortunately, like the armed services themselves, they have been neglected,” Robert Greenway, director of the Center for National Defense at The Heritage Foundation, says of the U.S. defense industrial base. Instead of producing all of our defense materials at home, the U.S. has outsourced some military production, but “there are some things we don't want in the hands of our adversaries, and there's some things, many things, we don't want under their control or influence,” Greenway says. Foreign production of defense materials is not only a risk from a national security perspective, it also takes economic opportunities away from the U.S., says Richard Stern, director of the Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation. “When we're talking about what's good for the defense industrial base, we're also talking about what builds high-quality, high-paying jobs in the US, what allows the U.S. to be the most productive and advanced country on the planet,” Stern says. Greenway and Stern recently traveled to Texas, one of the few states that have managed to build up strong military production capabilities. The Lone Star State, according to the research experts, can and should serve as a model for expanding defense production across America. Greenway and Stern join “The Daily Signal Podcast” to explain why the defense industrial base is so critical to U.S. military strength, and how increased production will serve all Americans through economic stimulation.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the Daily Civil Podcast for Friday, September 6th. I'm Virginia Allen.
0:10.0	The U.S. has a big problem. Our military strength is not what it once was, and in large
0:16.1	part this is due to a weak defense industrial base. The military can only be as strong as the defense industrial base,
0:24.8	but the government has put up a lot of barriers, like red tape, that have stifled that defense material production.
0:31.6	Robert Greenway is a former member of the National Security Council and currently serves
0:36.2	as director of the Center for National Defense at the Heritage Foundation, and Richard Stern
0:40.8	is the director of the Grover M Herman Center for the Federal Budget at the Heritage Foundation.
0:45.5	They both recently traveled to Texas to look at a model for how defense production can be done efficiently and how veterans can be the ones who are
0:56.2	creating those materials that serve our military on the front lines.
1:00.6	They join us here on the show today to not only discuss the problem of a weak defense industrial base, but what Texas is doing and how that model can be repeated across the states to strengthen our military. Stay tuned for my conversation with
1:14.8	Robert Greenway and Richard Stern after this.
1:19.3	This is Rob Louie from the Daily Signal. In today's media landscape, it's more important than ever to have a trusted source of news and conservative commentary.
1:30.0	That's why we are asking for your support.
1:33.0	Your donation helps us continue our mission of delivering accurate, factual reporting on the issues that matter most to you.
1:40.0	Whether it's $5 or $500, every contribution makes a difference.
1:45.1	Visit Daily Signal.com slash donate
1:47.8	to help us keep Americans informed and fight for conservative values.
1:52.2	The Daily Signal is your voice for the truth.
1:55.4	Well, I'm so pleased that we have with us now, Robert Greenway and Richard Stern.
2:00.6	Gentlemen, thank you so much for being here.
2:02.6	Always a pleasure.
2:03.3	Thanks for having us.
	...

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