Commerce Secretary Says Pentagon Weighing Equity Stakes in Defense Contractors

He singled out Lockheed Martin, which makes the F-35 and F-16 military planes.

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick testifies before a House Appropriations Committee hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump's budget request for the Department of Commerce, on Capitol Hill, on June 5, 2025. Leah Millis /Reuters

The Department of Defense (DOD) is weighing taking equity stakes in defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and others, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in an interview on Tuesday.

Speaking on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Lutnick was asked about whether the Trump administration would attempt to acquire equity stakes in companies, days after the U.S. government acquired 10 percent of Intel stock for around $9.5 billion.