Lawmakers worry about weapons makers’ ability to meet demand (The Federal Times)

Lawmakers worry about weapons makers’ ability to meet demand – By Joe Gould (The Federal Times) / Feb 8, 2023

WASHINGTON ― Lawmakers voiced worries on Wednesday about the health of the defense-industrial base in a House hearing where trade leaders said spending volatility and red tape make it tough for industry to surge capacity.

Amid broader discussions in the House about potential Pentagon budget cuts, members of the House Armed Services Committee offered a sympathetic forum for the defense sector as important to national security and an economic engine. For their part, leaders with the Aerospace Industries Association, National Defense Industrial Association and Shipbuilders Council of America said industry would respond best to stable demand from government.

“We cannot prevail in any conflict without a ready, strong and adaptable industrial base. Yet the defense-industrial base is experiencing a multitude of challenges,” said the panel’s chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala. “Some of these include inflation, workforce shortages, bureaucratic hurdles and supply chains that remain too dependent on foreign sources of materials.”

Amid calls from industry for the administration to adjust otherwise firm-fixed-price contracts to account for inflation, Rogers said the administration “refuses to use the authorities and resources Congress gave them last year to provide necessary relief.”

CONTINUE > https://www.federaltimes.com/congress/2023/02/08/lawmakers-worry-about-weapons-makers-ability-to-meet-demand/