The Trump administration is in talks with automakers and other large-scale American manufacturers in hopes that they'll agree to build more weaponry and military equipment, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Senior officials at the Department of War have spoken with Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors and the chief executive of Ford Motor, Jim Farley, according to people familiar with the matter.

In January, President Donald Trump and Farley appeared together at a Ford factory in Dearborn, Michigan. And in February, Barra visited the White House.

The Daily Mail approached the White House for comment. Ford and GM did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A Pentagon official told the Daily Mail that the War Department is 'committed to rapidly expanding the defense industrial base by leveraging all available commercial solutions and technologies to ensure our warfighters maintain a decisive advantage.' 

GE Aerospace and Oshkosh, a vehicle and machinery maker, were also involved in these talks, which were described as preliminary and wide-ranging. 

The request from the Pentagon to these companies comes as the United States fights two major conflicts; a proxy war in Ukraine to keep an invading Russia at bay and the newly-launched war against Iran.

Defense officials are concerned that the US is depleting its stock of weaponry and have asked firms if they can rapidly shift to a war-time production footing, a role American companies assumed during World War II.

People who spoke to the Journal anonymously said the discussions with manufacturers began before the war in Iran. 

Oshkosh, based in Wisconsin, reportedly began talking with the Pentagon as early as November, when War Secretary Pete Hegseth called for companies to begin upping production.

Logan Jones, chief growth officer for the company’s transport segment, said Oshkosh's discussions have largely been focused on 'where could we bring that capacity in a way that matches our core capability'.

Oshkosh currently builds tactical troop carriers for the Army and US allied countries, but most of the company's revenue comes from nondefense sources. 

During the talks, officials framed the companies getting involved as a matter of national security, according to the Journal.

Lawmakers have reportedly been concerned that the US will eventually draw down too far on its weapons stockpiles since February 2022, when Washington and NATO began sending weapons to Ukraine.

The Pentagon recently requested a $1.5 trillion budget, which would be the department's largest in history by a longshot. Officials want to invest more heavily in munition and drone manufacturing.

In an interview with Fox News, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the conflict in Ukraine would be a 'protracted, stalemated conflict.'

'No one has any idea or any plan to bring it to an end,' Rubio said about the drawn-out military operation. 

'The plan of the Ukrainians up to now and their allies on Capitol Hill and the people you talk to in other countries is let’s just keep giving them as much as they need for as long as it takes. That’s not a strategy.'

There is earlier precedent for the US government relying on companies to assist the citzenry through crises.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, GM and Ford collaborated with medical-device manufacturers to make tens of thousands of ventilators for hospitals that had shortages.

And during World War II, American automakers halted production of consumer vehicles to make tanks, aircraft, engines, guns, and trucks. At the time, they made $29 billion worth of military equipment.

That differs from how military production is done today. There are much fewer manufacturers involved and the ones that are generally specialize in making equipment for the Pentagon.

Notable defense contractors include Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Boeing and Northrop Grumman. 

GM has a segment that focuses only on defense production. It makes a lightweight infantry vehicle derived from the Chevrolet Colorado pickup.

The automaker is in the running to build an even larger infantry squad vehicle for the Army that would replace the Humvee, which has been in service for over 40 years.