AI could help return defense manufacturing to US, CEO says

Exiger CEO Brandon Daniels joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to break down how AI is exposing critical weaknesses in the U.S. defense supply chain and revealing America’s reliance on China for key military components.

The Trump administration’s efforts to curtail U.S. dependence on China are intensifying as artificial intelligence exposes vulnerabilities deep inside America’s military supply chain.

Exiger CEO Brandon Daniels joined FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria” to discuss how artificial intelligence is being used to trace the origin of critical military components and identify weak points tied to Chinese-controlled materials and suppliers.

U.S. military weapon manufacturing at Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Pennsylvania. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP / Getty Images)

Daniels said China has spent years targeting key areas of industrial manufacturing through what he described as “economic warfare,” pointing to practices such as forced labor, tariff evasion and state subsidies that have hollowed out parts of America’s manufacturing base.

“There is a big, thick middle of manufacturing that China has targeted over the last 20 years,” Daniels said.

Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., discusses China’s Iran influence, the high-stakes Trump-Xi summit, AI security risks, and legislation targeting U.S. farmland ownership on ‘Mornings with Maria.’

The conversation comes as the Trump administration is pushing to strengthen domestic production capacity tied to national security and defense systems. Daniels said the U.S. once had more than 360 manufacturers supporting areas such as iron castings, magnesium castings and forgings tied to defense production, but that number has dropped below 120 in the past decade.

WHITE HOUSE ACCUSES CHINA OF ‘INDUSTRIAL-SCALE’ AI TECHNOLOGY THEFT WEEKS AHEAD OF TRUMP-XI SUMMIT

“But there is a way out,” Daniels said. “Through autonomous workflows, through automation, through robotics, through artificial intelligence… we can return manufacturing to the United States.”

Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., condemns Sen. Bernie Sanders’, I-Vt., controversial call for U.S.-China cooperation on A.I. regulation on ‘Mornings with Maria.’

Supply chain concerns have intensified amid instability in the Middle East and threats to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Secretary of Energy Christopher Wright joined Wednesday’s program to discuss ongoing tensions involving Iran and the importance of maintaining open shipping lanes.

FORMER TREASURY SECRETARY SAYS GUARDRAILS ARE NEEDED TO AVOID US-CHINA ‘MUTUALLY ASSURED ECONOMIC DISRUPTION’

“The United States is going to have free flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz,” Wright said.

O’Leary Ventures chairman Kevin O’Leary discusses Sen. Bernie Sanders’ urge for international AI cooperation on ‘The Bottom Line.’

The discussion reflects a broader push across government and industry to reduce reliance on foreign-controlled materials tied to critical defense systems.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

#return #defense #manufacturing #CEO