Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Facebook
Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Facebook
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party conducted a hearing in Washington, D.C., focusing on strengthening America's defense industrial base and workforce. The event titled "Rebuilding the Arsenal of Democracy: The Imperative to Strengthen America's Defense Industrial Base and Workforce" included testimony from several experts.
Chairman John Moolenaar addressed concerns about the current state of the U.S. defense industrial base, emphasizing its limitations against potential conflicts with China. He stated, “Our defense industrial base lacks the capacity to win a war with the [People's Republic of China], is unable to innovate quickly or at scale, and its supply chains are vulnerable to manipulation and economic coercion at the hands of the [People's Republic of China]. Bold policy changes and significant resources are now needed to restore deterrence and prevent a fight with the [People's Republic of China].”
Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi highlighted dependence on Chinese manufacturing, noting that “China produces almost 5x the number of these castings than the US. Now, DoD says it actually relies on Chinese castings for some of their own weapons systems.”
Chris Brose from Anduril Industries discussed challenges in sustaining long-term military production capabilities. He remarked, “Great power conflict would be a war of production, attrition and regeneration at scales that are nearly unfathomable to our defense industrial base. We may be ready for Day 1, but we are utterly unprepared for Day 30, let alone Day 300.”
Dr. William Greenwalt from the American Enterprise Institute pointed out lessons from World War II: “This is a whole-of-nation effort that is much bigger than just immediately ramping up a few existing defense production lines.”
Halimah Najieb-Locke from Entanglement Inc. spoke about industry consolidation affecting U.S. manufacturing strength: "What was true in 2013 is true today. We must rally to close the gaps in our manufacturing capacities."
The hearing underscored an urgent call for strategic enhancements across America's defense sectors.
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