APRIL 1, 2026 – The military industrial base workers produce the weapons, platforms and systems that allow the warfighters to succeed on the battlefield, said Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who spoke at a Pentagon press briefing yesterday.
“In every military option, we could not and cannot do our jobs without the men and women across our country who show up every day, around the clock, to a factory floor, a workshop, a laboratory, who build the weapons and capabilities we need to project American combat power at the time and place of our choosing,” he said.
These Americans include machinists running high-tech CNC machines that cut raw blocks of metal into precise parts; assembly workers painstakingly turning kits of components into complex guidance systems precision munitions or rocket motors; engineers who build jets and submarines; and quality assurance technicians who ensure that when a warfighter pulls a trigger, the weapon works every time, Caine said.
“This can be and is tough and gritty work. It’s not a quiet office and a desk with paper — and there’s nothing wrong with that — but this is exactly the way this group of Americans like it. I know this,” the general said, having done this work in the private sector.
It’s often loud and dangerous work that requires absolute focus for hours at a time with a deep commitment to get it right every single time, he said.
“It’s hands-on work where one uncaught mistake or deviation can put an American’s life at risk. A single misplaced wire, a microscopic flaw in a weld, an incorrectly calibrated sensor could mean the difference between mission success or mission failure and difference is measured in the lives of our sons and daughters, Caine said.
“It’s not just their manufacturing skill, it’s their innovative minds and their entrepreneurial spirit,” he added.
The general provided examples of the capability developed by researchers, engineers and assemblers, including stealth fighters and bombers and ships built by shipyard workers.
“These innovators, these workers, these incredible Americans, don’t get the same glory as a fighter pilot returning to a carrier deck at night or an artilleryman sending rounds downrange. And yet they show up every single day, and without them, we could not do the work that we are tasked to do,” he said.
The general also thanked the workers at the military organic industrial base, as well as industrial base workers at allied and partner nations.
By David Vergun
Pentagon News