Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., told Newsmax on Wednesday that the United States must accelerate weapons production to replenish munitions stockpiles depleted during the Iran war, arguing the effort is crucial to maintaining America's military edge.
Meuser spoke to "American Agenda" ahead of President Donald Trump's keynote address at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He said the administration is making clear that defense manufacturers should prepare for increased production.
"It's a new day at the previous Department of Defense. That's the main reason that they renamed it the Department of War: to highlight that it is truly a new day," Meuser said.
"We're not just about defense. We're about offense."
Meuser said the administration's approach reflects Trump's long-standing "peace through strength" doctrine and comes as the U.S. faces growing threats abroad.
"It's a dangerous world. China is a threat, is an adversary," he said.
"They are growing on a regular basis, and the United States has got to keep up. Pennsylvania is the right place to get that message going."
The summit, hosted by Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., brought together Trump administration officials, defense contractors, technology companies, and financial leaders to discuss expanding the nation's defense industrial base.
Pennsylvania is home to major defense manufacturers, including Boeing, which builds the Chinook helicopter, as well as facilities operated by Raytheon and Northrop Grumman.
Meuser dismissed suggestions that U.S. weapons inventories have reached a critical level but acknowledged production has not kept pace with military needs.
"Our U.S. stockpiles are not in the danger zone," he said. "However, our procurements are not going anywhere near the speed that [War Secretary] Pete Hegseth ... and the president are satisfied with."
He said additional defense funding is essential for national security and the economy.
"We're informing that some large funding is coming through, which is absolutely essential to our economic health and our national security health," Meuser said.
He also welcomed private-sector investment in defense manufacturing, saying companies should "be prepared, get a contract, and live up to the production requirements, because it's a new day with the Department of War. We're about gaining peace through strength."
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