{"text":[[{"start":12.28,"text":"The Pentagon has held talks with General Motors and Ford about how Detroit carmakers can contribute to US weapons supply chains as part of the Trump administration’s overhaul of military procurement."}],[{"start":25.68,"text":"The “wide-ranging” talks covered how auto manufacturers could help to produce components or parts for a range of weapons systems, including through the deployment of advanced manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing, according to people familiar with the matter. "}],[{"start":44.91,"text":"The discussions with senior Pentagon officials come as defence secretary Pete Hegseth has driven efforts to radically change military procurement."}],[{"start":55.36,"text":"Army secretary Dan Driscoll last year accused leading US defence companies, known as “primes”, of duping the US military into relying excessively on highly specialised systems that are more expensive and difficult to produce than their commercial equivalents."}],[{"start":75.71000000000001,"text":"The Pentagon is “very motivated to restructure procurement, to move faster, to get things done at lower cost and to remove roadblocks and increase production”, one person familiar with the talks said. “So they have reached out to GM and Ford and the focus is, on a preliminary basis, what can you do to help?”"}],[{"start":95.35000000000001,"text":"The talks went beyond the companies’ existing contracts with the military and focused on how the Detroit automakers could “break production and supply chain bottlenecks for the existing defence contractors”, the person said. "}],[{"start":108.93,"text":"“Nothing has been inked yet,” they added. "}],[{"start":114.73,"text":"GM already has a dedicated defence subsidiary, which has been working with the US military on developing capabilities including autonomous vehicles capable of transporting wounded personnel."}],[{"start":128.81,"text":"The company behind the Chevrolet and Cadillac brands is also part of a group of businesses working on a new lunar rover for Nasa’s Artemis programme. The rover’s battery and off-road capabilities are also of interest to military planners."}],[{"start":144.41,"text":"“For more than 100 years, GM has supported America’s security, safety, and those who protect our nation,” the company said in a statement. “While that commitment continues, we do not comment on speculation.” "}],[{"start":159.56,"text":"Ford, which does not have a dedicated defence subsidiary, declined to comment."}],[{"start":165.54,"text":"A Pentagon official told the FT that “the Department of War is committed to rapidly expanding the defence industrial base by leveraging all available commercial solutions and technologies to ensure our warfighters maintain a decisive advantage”."}],[{"start":182.39,"text":"“The Department is aggressively pursuing and integrating the best of American innovation, wherever it resides,” they added. "}],[{"start":190.61999999999998,"text":"The talks were first reported in the Wall Street Journal."}],[{"start":204.33999999999997,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1776323652_4256.mp3"}