President Trump announced $10 billion in private investments on Wednesday for U.S. defense projects that are expected to create more than 4,000 jobs in Pennsylvania and build the nation’s industrial base.
The projects, about 30 in all, will support shipbuilding, munitions, the space industry, innovation and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
“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,” Mr. Trump said at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Trump extolled the swing state, which he won in 2016 and 2024, saying it “will play a key role in building the arsenal of freedom to defend our nation in the modern world.”
Sen. David McCormick, Pennsylvania Republican, said the projects carry on a legacy that began when the Army, Navy and Marine Corps were founded in Philadelphia in 1775.
“That legacy carried us through the Arsenal of Democracy in World War II, and it’s carrying us today through advanced manufacturing, robotics, AI, and space,” Mr. McCormick said. “President Trump has laid out a bold vision for American strength, and Pennsylvania is proving it can deliver, bringing the innovation, the workforce, and the will to build it.”
Earlier Wednesday, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon announced a $24 million effort to rejuvenate American shipbuilding, including $18 million in loans and $6 million in grants for a submarine manufacturing facility at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.
“The arsenal of democracy has been reignited,” Mr. Dimon told CNBC.
Hanwha Group will take new ship orders for a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, a project valued at $1.5 billion.
Elsewhere, Mack Defense in Allentown will take a new Army order for 115 heavy dump trucks for the Army National Guard, bringing its 2026 orders to 208 trucks worth more than $84 million.
A pilot project at Firepoint Energy in Tunnelton will convert waste coal into synthetic jet fuel, power and critical minerals. Other projects will build military facilities and general defense infrastructure, and will work on engines for the Air Force and autonomous logistics programs.
The investments also include support for military technology partnerships with top Pennsylvania universities.
Mr. Trump also said any American who has driven a heavy truck for the military will be automatically eligible for a commercial driving license, characterizing it as an attempt to replace illegal immigrants who are driving trucks now.
“The radical left is very much opposed to that,” Mr. Trump said. “But it doesn’t matter what they want, because we’re the ones who are running it.”
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