CARLISLE, Pa.—President Donald Trump hosted a roundtable discussion at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit held at the U.S. Army War College on July 15, leading talks on how best to strengthen the nation’s defenses.
Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), who organized the two-day summit, used the opportunity to highlight nearly $10 billion in recent investments in arms and technology industry vendors from across Pennsylvania. The investments are expected to support more than 4,000 jobs in the commonwealth.
The president joined in praising Pennsylvania’s contributions to America’s arsenals.
“Pennsylvania workers will build the ships, submarines, trucks, weapons, and industries that will ensure America remains the strongest and most powerful nation in the history of the world,” Trump said.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler were among the Cabinet members in attendance.
More than 600 business executives from around 500 organizations were also in attendance, according to McCormick’s staff. Those executives include JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Blackstone Chief Operating Officer Jon Gray, and Lockheed Martin’s president and CEO Jim Taiclet.
Among the recent deals was a 10-year partnership, valued at $2.5 billion, between Rhoads Industries and General Dynamics Electric Boat to support submarine construction at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
Another recent $2.3 billion deal will allow the Philadelphia-headquartered ammunition manufacturer Day & Zimmermann to modernize and manage operations at the Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada. The facility is the largest ammunition storage facility operated by the U.S. military’s Joint Munitions Command.
