U.S. Defense Industrial Base

The U.S. defense industrial base is unable to produce missiles quickly enough to replenish munitions used in the war with Iran or transferred to Central Command. The rapid pace of interceptor and precision-guided weapons use has raised concerns within the Trump administration.

Europe is concerned that the US defense industrial base may no longer supply weapons to NATO allies due to depleted stockpiles from conflicts in Ukraine and Iran. The US plans to address European defense spending and concerns over its commitment to NATO during a meeting in Ankara.

Sen. Kevin Cramer argues that China's industrial dominance, particularly in steel and shipbuilding, poses a national security threat to the U.S., urging permitting reform to strengthen the defense industrial base. The article highlights U.S. struggles to meet munitions demands in conflicts like Ukraine and warns of peacetime atrophy in domestic manufacturing.

The article uses the 1986 World Cup's 'Hand of God' goal as an analogy to discuss vulnerabilities in U.S. defense industrial policy. It argues that while oversight exists, distorted tax incentives improperly steer defense work toward private vendors instead of the organic industrial base that could perform it effectively.