President Donald Trump on Wednesday touted his administration’s efforts at removing regulatory and infrastructure barriers that have hindered the nation’s defense industrial base, as he promoted nearly $10 billion in new defense investments across Pennsylvania.

"We’re clearing every obstacle to building the defense industrial base," Trump said in the keynote address during the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle.

His comments aired live on Newsmax and the free Newsmax2 streaming platform.

Trump said defense manufacturing leaders told him before his speech that they struggled under the Biden administration to obtain permits and begin construction.

"So many people, I was shaking hands backstage, just came up and they said, 'We couldn't even function two years ago in this country,'" Trump said.

"We couldn't get anything built. We couldn't get approvals; we couldn't do anything. And now we cannot imagine the change," Trump continued.

"They said, 'Five or six of the people building defense-oriented things — we have no idea how this has happened to this extent,'" he said. "We look forward to going to work. We get our approvals fast."

Trump said the announced investments would create more than 4,000 jobs producing ships, submarines, military vehicles, weapons, and other equipment.

"Pennsylvania workers will build the ships, submarines, trucks, weapons, and industries that will ensure America remains the strongest and most powerful nation in the history of the world," Trump said.

The summit was organized by Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., and brought together administration officials, defense contractors, technology companies, and financial executives as the U.S. seeks to rebuild weapons stockpiles depleted by the conflict with Iran.

An analysis released in May by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that defense contractors could need at least three years to replenish U.S. stocks of Tomahawk missiles, and Patriot and THAAD interceptors.

Trump called on contractors to accelerate production while maintaining the quality of U.S. weapons.

"We have the best quality in the world but we need a little more speed," he said.

Trump cited a planned $2.5 billion investment by General Dynamics supporting submarine production that he said would create 1,500 jobs.

He also noted a $2.3 billion contract with Day & Zimmerman supporting operations at the Hawthorne Army Depot and a partnership with Eos Energy Enterprises to develop energy-storage technology for the Golden Dome missile-defense system.

Other announced projects include two national security multimission vessels at the Hanwha Philadelphia Shipyard, military vehicles from Mack Defense, and investments in robotics, artificial intelligence, critical materials, and aerospace technology.

Trump said the federal government would also allow large technology manufacturers to construct their own power plants rather than depend entirely on an aging electrical grid, removing another potential obstacle to expansion.

He linked the investments to a proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget for the 2027 fiscal year, which includes $1.15 trillion in discretionary spending and an additional $350 billion that the administration wants Congress to approve through a planned third reconciliation bill.

"Pennsylvania, you are really rocking," Trump said. "The actions that we've announced today will create thousands of new Pennsylvania jobs, and they'll make our entire nation stronger and more prosperous than ever before.

"We have the strongest nation that we've ever had."

We have the most successful nation that we've ever had," Trump said.

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