Defense production sits squarely at the center of that effort, with Washington increasingly looking to private industry to expand military manufacturing. The latest example is the Pentagon's push to enlist Detroit's automakers in building the Army's next generation of tactical vehicles. In that vein, Ford is stepping back into military vehicle manufacturing in a meaningful way, entering the competition to develop the U.S. Army's next tactical transport vehicle—its largest defense opportunity in decades, according to the Wall Street Journal. The effort reflects the Pentagon's broader push to tap the manufacturing expertise of U.S. automakers as it rebuilds defense capacity amid rising geopolitical tensions. Ford has signaled it sees opportunities beyond military vehicles, including supplying critical components and strengthening domestic supply chains, while GM has expanded aggressively into defense with programs ranging from tactical vehicles to munitions manufacturing.