Defense &
National Security
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Defense &
National Security
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Hegseth, Loeffler announce commission to surge aid to small defense contractors |
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler announced on Tuesday the establishment of a Smaller War Plants Commission that would surge expertise and funds to smaller defense companies.
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© Alex Brandon, Associated Press
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“Our message is clear: President Trump is ending the era of dependence on foreign supply chains and our adversaries. This historic long-term commitment will reinforce the industrial depth that stands proudly behind the strongest military on earth. When we back the businesses who supply our forces, we outbuild, out innovate and overwhelm any adversary,” Hegseth said in a 3-minute video posted on social platform X.
“We are transforming industrial capability into generational battlefield advantage, and in doing so, we will deter conflict, preserve peace and ensure that no adversary tests American strength,” Hegseth said.
The new commission was billed as an equivalent to the Smaller War Plants Corporation, which was formed by Congress in 1942 to aid small businesses in building war supplies during World War II. It made loans, obtained contracts and provided technical assistance to small plants.
“Our joint mission will supercharge funding to those building our supply chain, tooling up, expanding, innovating and hiring to deliver capability to the warfighter,” Loeffler said in the same video. “The era of offshoring the production of power projection to our adversaries is over.”
Small manufacturers comprise 70 percent of the U.S. defense industrial base, according to Loeffler, who added that SBA oversees nearly $500 billion in small business portfolio.
“Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Hegseth, the world's strongest military will be backed by the world's most nimble industrial base, offering our warfighters asymmetric advantage and our nation peace through strength,” the SBA administrator said.
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Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Filip Timotija — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
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How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:
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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Monday that the Trump administration’s economic pressure on Iran is hurting the regime “the most right now” but did not rule out the U.S. military resuming airstrikes if necessary. “If we need to use kinetic strikes, we’ll use them. If Iran is foolish enough to overplay their hand or mess with the American military, we’ll do what we need to do,” Hegseth told reporters in Oshkosh, …
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A legal watchdog has filed a bar complaint against U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, arguing she violated various standards in seeking to bring charges against six Democratic lawmakers who filmed a video noting that military members can refuse illegal orders. The complaint from the Legal Accountability Center asks the New York court system’s Grievance Committee to investigate Pirro, saying she violated …
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Sailors and crew members on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which recently departed the Middle East after being stationed in the region as part of the U.S. conflict with Iran, have a port call scheduled after 250 days at sea, USA Today reported Monday, citing family members. Texts to the outlet said the Lincoln planned to stop in Thailand in early September after its extended deployment. One sailor told a relative to send hotel ideas …
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Nearly all Senate Armed Services Committee minority members on Monday called on the panel’s head to hold a hearing with Pentagon leadership to discuss the impact extended deployments in support of the Iran war are having on U.S. service members. The letter — led by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and signed by 11 other senators — was addressed to Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), the Senate Armed Services Committee’s chair, …
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Upcoming things we’re watching on our beat:
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- Congress is out for August recess. The House will return on the 31st and the Senate on Sept. 14.
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
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CIA director makes unannounced visit to Russia
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CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced visit to Moscow on Tuesday for meetings with Russian officials, CBS News reported. Flight trackers spotted a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transport plane flying from Riga, Latvia, to Moscow on Tuesday. The CIA and the White House did …
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News we’ve flagged from other outlets:
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Two key stories on The Hill right now:
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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s interventions in the U.S.-Canada trade talks helped the weeks-long negotiations fall apart, according to multiple … Read more
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President Trump has ordered all American flags to be flown at half-staff in memory of Dolly Parton, who died Tuesday at the age of 80. “Very sad to … Read more
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Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:
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You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!
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