Rebuilding America’s War Machine

America is running low on munitions, its shipyards can’t keep pace, and the materials its weapons depend on too often run through China. Michael Cadenazzi is the Pentagon official charged with turning that around, putting billions of dollars behind the factories, materials, and supply chains that make America’s military power possible. He joins School of War to explain how the Pentagon plans to ramp up weapons production, attract private investment, and break decades of bad habits in how the Pentagon does business. Cadenazzi is confident America can still mobilize its industrial might for a major war, but he warns that waiting until the shooting starts would be “way more expensive in blood and treasure.” The race to rearm is on, and the question is whether America can win it before the next great-power war begins. 

03:40 – America's Industrial Decline

06:15 – Dependence on China

09:12 – Pentagon Spending

12:40 – Rare Earth Production

16:59 – Defense Supply Chains

20:41 – Weapons Manufacturing

23:26 – High-End Weapons vs. Mass

28:01 – Blood and Treasure

31:56 – Private Investment

34:58 – Outproducing China

41:29 – Pentagon Equity Stakes

45:00 – Managing Investments

This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System, the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today. Learn more at palantir.com.

This episode of School of War is also brought to you by Stratolaunch, a leading pure-play hypersonics company.  Stratolaunch helps the U.S. and its allies move new hypersonic technologies from concept to capability, faster and cheaper.  Learn more about how Stratolaunch is accelerating the future of hypersonics at Stratolaunch.com.

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