U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) today announced the introduction of the William S. Knudsen Defense Remobilization Act to launch the remobilization of American defense production.
“America’s military stockpiles are dangerously low. Joe Biden has spent two years sending more weapons to Ukraine than we’re capable of manufacturing, and it’s putting our national security at risk,” said Vance. “We’re woefully unprepared for any type of major conflict. This legislation would recruit industry experts to identify the shortfalls of our military industrial base and outline necessary regulatory reforms to get defense production back on track.”
The legislation will establish a Commission for American Defense-Industrial Mobilization. The Commission, comprised of twelve industry leaders and experts, would be tasked with the execution of a review of the defense-industrial base of the United States, including an assessment of the production requirements necessary to wage a major war across multiple theaters.
The Commission would also be charged with identifying supply chain bottlenecks, obstacles to competition, requirements for the conversion of civilian commercial facilities to defense production in a national emergency, analyzing the regulatory burdens that weaken the defense industrial base, and producing a comprehensive report and national security strategy to restore the United States’ capacity to lead the world in defense manufacturing.
The legislation is named for lieutenant general William S. Knudsen, a former Ford and GM executive who was tapped by President Roosevelt to spearhead war production and industrial mobilization efforts in the lead up to World War II. General Knudsen later managed the Army Air Forces Material and Services Command headquartered at Patterson Field, Ohio.
The introduction of this bill follows Vance’s remarks on the Senate floor last month in which he said “we are depleting” missiles “faster than we can replenish them…and then we send them to Ukraine.”
🚨Senator JD Vance issues a DIRE WARNING that the US can't produce enough weapons stock to support our own needs, let alone enough for Ukraine:
“We need missiles. And America doesn't make nearly enough of those, not for our own security, and certainly not enough to support both… pic.twitter.com/QJ5QgYpX3W
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 12, 2024
“We need missiles, and America doesn’t make nearly enough of those, not for our own security, and certainly not enough to support both the Ukraine conflict and, God forbid, a conflict that might occur in East Asia,” Vance said in a Senate floor speech earlier today. “So let’s specify that a little bit more. We are right now depleting critical munitions, missiles, artillery shells and bullets faster than we can replenish them.”
“And then we send them to Ukraine,” said Vance. “I’m sorry. Why does that make an ounce of sense for our own national security? Shouldn’t we rebuild our own manufacturing capacity before we spend all of it on Ukraine?”
Vance, 38, was first elected to serve Ohio in the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 2022 General Election. He defeated U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), winning 53% to Ryan’s 47%.
Vance served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2003 to 2007, graduated from Ohio State University, and received a J.D. from Yale University Law School.
He also is the author of the the 2016 book, “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis,” which reached The New York Times Bestseller list in 2016 and 2017.