US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced nearly $10 billion in new defense-related investments in Pennsylvania that he said would create more than 4,000 jobs, while urging manufacturers to speed up production of military equipment and pledging to expand trucking opportunities for US veterans.
Speaking at Senator Dave McCormick's Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Trump said the investments would support the production of ships, submarines, trucks and weapons.
Trump also called on defense contractors to increase output, singling out submarine builder General Dynamics and saying weapons manufacturers needed "a little more speed."
"We have the best quality in the world, but we need a little more speed," Trump said.
The president said the administration was investing heavily in the military and highlighted plans to expand U.S. shipbuilding, including projects at the Philadelphia Shipyard.
Trump also announced what he described as upcoming action to make it easier for military veterans to become truck drivers, saying veterans who operated heavy trucks in the military would automatically qualify for commercial driver's licenses. He said the move would help replace undocumented truck drivers with American veterans.