US President Donald Trump will address an investment summit in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday at the US Army War College, where he is likely to push for investments in cutting-edge military technology as the United States strives to make its forces more powerful in the face of growing threats on the international stage.
The event, convened by Republican Sen. David McCormick, connects top officials from government, the military and the world’s biggest financial institutions and defense firms to talk about national security issues and future investment prospects.
Senior officials in attendance include Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz.
The summit is designed to promote cooperation between government and private industry and to underscore investment opportunities that would enhance America’s defense industrial base, the White House said.
Among the business leaders participating are the chiefs of JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon; Blackstone, Jon Gray; Lockheed Martin, Jim Taiclet; General Dynamics, Phebe Novakovic; Boeing, Kelly Ortberg; SpaceX, Antonio Gracias and Palantir, Shyam Sankar.
The top is coming as the U.S. is under pressure to replenish military inventories after recent actions against Iran. Inventories of Tomahawk cruise missiles, as well as Patriot and THAAD air defense interceptors have dwindled, with a report issued in May concluding it would take at least three years to replenish stocks of some Army weapons systems.
As worries increase about future military readiness, the issue of enhancing production capacity has emerged as a key point of discussion. Tensions between Washington and Beijing have been high and China has threatened to invade Taiwan by military force if it chooses to.
The event has already resulted in new investment announcements. AI and machine learning firm ZeroEyes, which is based in Pennsylvania, announced its intention to spend $10 million on R&D in the field of AI and machine learning. Gecko Robotics of Pittsburgh also unveiled plans to build a new 10,000-square-foot manufacturing plant to help increase the application of robotics to defense manufacturing.
The US defense industry needs to get its supply chains robust and speed up manufacturing to get advanced tech sooner,” said Gecko Robotics co-founder and Chief Executive Jake Loosararian.
Trump has made numerous trips to Pennsylvania, a key battleground state he won in the 2016 and 2024 presidential elections. The president is also requesting $1.5 trillion in defense spending in 2027, but a bill to approve that amount is stuck on Capitol Hill.
The administration believes that boosting spending on military technology, manufacturing and innovation will help keep the U.S. military ready as geopolitical dynamics evolve to change security priorities around the world.
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