General Motors on Tuesday announced a new defense partnership with Lockheed Martin as the United States seeks to expand the domestic production of defense hardware. The deal, described by GM Defense executives as intended to scale manufacturing and broaden production capabilities, was said to be facilitated by the U.S. Department of Defense. The White House has previously discussed ways to strengthen the country’s defense industry with GM and Ford.
GM Defense, reestablished in 2017, is one of the automaker’s newer, faster-growing segments and serves customers including the U.S. Army, the Secret Service and NASA. In the joint collaboration, executives from both companies said the effort will focus on improving production readiness, scalable manufacturing environments, supply-chain resilience, and accelerated delivery through advanced manufacturing and design approaches. Lockheed Martin’s Chief Operating Officer Frank St. John noted that it is still early to specify which projects will be pursued under the partnership, which is governed by a memorandum of understanding.
Lockheed Martin has said it will invest $9 billion through 2030 to modernize 20 facilities and supply bases, while GM will invest $7 billion in U.S. research and development. The parties described the initiative as a step toward greater capacity to build, scale and deliver reliably—an emphasis both companies underscored on a call with reporters. They also cited the broader context of the nation ramping up production of defense parts as part of a push toward domestic manufacturing strength.
Historically, GM has built tanks for the country during World War II, and executives framed this collaboration as a continuation of deep manufacturing roots intended to strengthen the defense industrial base. GM and Lockheed said they will continue to define potential future contracts and projects as the partnership develops.
The announcement comes as President Donald Trump has urged greater American manufacturing activity and reshoring of production, underscoring a period of heightened attention to U.S. defense supply chains. The White House’s discussions with Ford and GM about defense industry support have been part of this broader policy discussion. CNBC and reporters contributed to the reporting.
