LATE, BUT WELCOME: Defense industry’s major players gather in Pennsylvania as US weapon stockpiles hit new low.
President Trump himself will join a roundtable Wednesday as part of the two-day Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, hosted by Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.).
Keystone State companies produce thousands of parts along the US military’s supply chain, playing vital roles in producing ships, vehicles and weapons, according to a new report produced by logistics firm Exiger and shared exclusively with The Post Tuesday.
Pennsylvania-based defense organizations supply 113,000 parts, employ 190,000 people, and have received more than $263 billion in Department of War funding over the past two decades, the seventh-most among the 50 states.
Firms like Philadelphia-based Rhoads Industries and Howmet Aerospace in Pittsburgh produce a “substantial number of components that cannot be readily replaced,” the report found, adding that some 2,000 weapon systems rely on parts manufactured in Pennsylvania.
“Our report gives leaders convening at the US Army War College deep visibility into the Commonwealth’s supply chain and into the role it plays in the larger defense industrial base,” said Exiger CEO Brandon Daniels.
It was clear — at least to anyone who pays much attention to history — even before the full-scale Russo-Ukraine War, that the West simply didn’t stockpile enough munitions. The start of that war made it undeniable.
That was four and a half years ago, and we’ve only started coming out of denial.