A worker assembles the first C-130J-30 Super Hercules for the Navy’s E-130J program at a Lockheed Martin facility in this undated photo. Lockheed Martin and General Motors announced a new collaboration June 16, 2026, to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and defense industrial base capabilities. (David L. Key/Lockheed Martin)
General Motors and Lockheed Martin have agreed to explore ways to accelerate the production of American military equipment.
The collaboration aims to combine the automaker’s large-scale industrial capabilities with the defense contractor’s weapons-producing expertise, the companies announced Tuesday.
Facilitated by the Defense Department, the pairing comes as the Pentagon seeks to expand the nation’s defense industrial capacity amid increased demand for weapons, munitions and other military supplies.
President Donald Trump on June 11 invoked the Defense Production Act, citing limited production capacity, fragile supply chains and manufacturing bottlenecks affecting the munitions industrial base.
The order authorizes the Defense Department to establish voluntary agreements with industry to strengthen the defense industrial base.
GM Defense, a subsidiary of General Motors headquartered in Washington D.C., and Lockheed Martin said in a statement Tuesday that their initial efforts will focus on improving production readiness, strengthening supply chains and increasing manufacturing efficiency.
They did not identify specific military programs that could be involved in the collaboration, nor did they mention the Defense Production Act specifically.
During a GM Defense and Lockheed media call on Tuesday, officials said U.S. weapons stockpiles have been depleted by the war in Iran and the aid sent to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia, the Detroit Free Press reported Tuesday.
“By working with GM Defense, we can strengthen the tools and techniques needed to build the next generation of defense systems at the speed and scale required for the future fight,” Frank St. John, Lockheed Martin’s chief operating officer, said in the statement.
Steve duMont, president of GM Defense, said the partnership could help increase production capacity while reducing costs.
“Together, we can help the U.S. government and industry partners more quickly and efficiently produce the technologies needed to support our warfighters,” duMont said.
General Motors reinstituted its defense subsidiary in 2017, but the Detroit-based automaker has a long history as a military contractor.
The company produces the Infantry Squad Vehicle, or ISV, a lightweight, diesel-powered truck for moving soldiers across rugged terrain.
Lockheed is one of the world’s biggest defense contractors and constructs F-35 jet fighters and missiles for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, among other products.
