Gov. Josh Shapiro and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick agree on the need to expand Pennsylvania’s role in the country’s defense industry, saying the state is well-positioned to capitalize on growing demand through investments in technology, manufacturing and workforce development.
Speaking during the second day of the defense summit hosted by McCormick at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, the Democratic governor and Republican senator both said Pennsylvania can become a national leader in defense manufacturing and innovation.
“Defense is critical to the future growth of this commonwealth. And we can build on that wonderful heritage as we think about how to create more jobs, more prosperity and more importantly more national security,” the governor said.
McCormick said the country must respond quickly to rapid advances in artificial intelligence and automation through partnerships among government, industry and higher education.
“This moment requires more,” he said. “It requires industry, academia and congress to step up further.”
He compared the country’s defense system to a symphony, saying success depends on every sector working together.
“Each group plays a different part. But the music only works when they play well and play together,” he said.
This is the second summit McCormick has hosted. He led one last summer in Pittsburgh on artificial intelligence and energy. Shapiro also spoke at that one.
The two-day summit brought thousands of industry leaders, government officials and education professionals together at the US Army War College in Carlisle to discuss ways to move the country’s defense system forward.
Shapiro joined McCormick for a panel Wednesday titled “Pennsylvania: Freedom’s Forge.” The discussion was moderated by Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi and also included Michael Coulter, president and CEO of Hanwha Defense USA, and Danny Deep, president of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems.
Deep said demand created by Russia’s war in Ukraine forced manufacturers to dramatically increase production.
The factory in Scranton employs 2,200 people and dramatically expanded operations when the Russia-Ukraine war began.
“Ukraine consumed five years of our capacity… in less than six and a half months,” Deep said. “So we had to scale up.”
He said investments from the federal and state governments helped the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant increase production from about 14,000 artillery rounds per month to roughly 50,000.
Workforce and education
Coulter says his company is working with partners to reimagine the workforce of the future. He also said a technology-based workforce is not a threat,
“The workforce of the future is very heavily automated,” he said. “People mistake automation and robotics with lack of jobs or replacing jobs. I can tell you in our shipyard in Korea we have 30,000 workers and it is very heavily automated.”
McCormick said Pennsylvania’s universities and private sector are already producing pioneering research.
“We have that cutting edge expertise here,” McCormick said. “We have to support it.”
Shapiro noted recent increases in funding for technical education, but expressed a desire to better connect the research happening at universities like Penn State as the need grows more immediate.
“We have got to realize that China is innovating at a rate far quicker than the United States is right now,” he said. “One of the ways we can speed that process up is the force multiplier of our allies.”
Shapiro took a slight swipe at the Trump administration.
“I get a little bit concerned when our administration pokes the finger in the eye of our allies,” he said.
