President Trump's war economy continues to gain steam as weapons production is kicked into high gear and stockpiling becomes a top priority for the Department of War.
The latest evidence: Lockheed Martin has won a DoW contract worth up to $35 billion to quadruple production of THAAD missile-defense interceptors, according to Bloomberg.
The seven-year agreement follows a January framework deal between Lockheed and DoW to boost interceptor output over the next few years. It also comes as the White House moves to mobilize the defense industrial base, with Trump invoking the Defense Production Act to reduce manufacturing bottlenecks.
On Wednesday afternoon, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters after a meeting with Trump that the goal of increasing munitions production “is important because we have to replenish our stockpiles and make sure we are totally ready for whatever might emerge."
The urgency behind the upcoming replenishment cycle comes after four years of war in Ukraine and the recent U.S.-Iran war drained key weapons stockpiles.
Trump also met with defense-industry executives on Wednesday as the administration seeks to accelerate production of other key air-defense weapons.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers in mid-May that because of Trump's "smart business deals” have sent an unmistakable demand signal to defense-industrial partners: build more, build faster, and prepare for sustained procurement.
.@SECWAR "Over the past year, through historic, multi-year procurement agreements – smart business deals – we have sent a permanent, unambiguous demand signal to our industry partners to BUILD MORE AND BUILD FASTER.
The result has been a surge – a revitalization – of our great… pic.twitter.com/wrqI5e5HQR
Hegseth's recent comments about America's industrial base roaring back to life should come as no surprise to readers, as we've outlined:
War Economy Returns: From Trucks To Tanks, Pentagon Looks To Automakers To Rebuild America's Arsenal
Race To Refill U.S. Weapons Stockpiles Will Supercharge War Economy
"Answering The Call": Ford Motor Eyes WWII-Style Production Push For Trump's War Economy
DoW recently published a map of America's expanding defense industrial base, centered mostly in the South and Rust Belt.
Last week, Nancy Lazar, Piper Sandler's chief global economist and head of the firm's economics research team, told clients she was bullish on goods-producing jobs, including construction workers building out the next wave of data centers.
We would add that surging production of missiles, interceptors, drones, tanks, planes, and bombs could further accelerate that shift, moving the labor market away from two decades of low-productivity service-sector jobs and back toward higher-paying industrial work tied to national security, reshoring, and Trump's war economy.
Tyler Durden Thu, 06/25/2026 - 23:00The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Exxon Mobil can move forward with its lawsuit against Cuban state-owned oil companies over assets seized after Fidel Castro came to power, reopening a dispute tied to Cuba’s 1960 nationalizations, according to CNN.
The 6-3 decision comes as President Donald Trump has taken a more aggressive stance toward Havana.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the majority, with the Court’s liberal justices dissenting.
CNN writes that the ruling is part of a broader wave of legal and political pressure on Cuba. In May, the Trump administration indicted former Cuban leader Raúl Castro over his alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft that killed four people, including three Americans. Trump has also floated military action, saying in March he might have the “honor of taking Cuba.”
Exxon’s case centers on property seized in 1960 and a 1996 law that allows US nationals to sue over confiscated Cuban assets in American courts. Before the revolution, Standard Oil—later Exxon Mobil—operated a refinery, product terminals and 117 service stations in Cuba, all of which were nationalized by Castro’s government.
A US commission in 1969 valued Standard Oil’s losses at nearly $72 million. With interest and Exxon’s request for treble damages, the total exposure could reach into the hundreds of millions.
The legal fight turned on whether the 1996 Cuba law overrides another federal statute that generally shields foreign governments from lawsuits in US courts. Exxon argued Congress created a clear exception for claims involving seized Cuban property, while the Cuban companies said sovereign immunity should still apply.
The Trump administration backed Exxon, telling the Court that “The United States has compelling foreign-policy interests in ensuring that US nationals whose assets were illegally expropriated by Fidel Castro’s communist regime receive recompense and in preventing the Cuban government from further benefiting from its wrongdoing.”
Lower courts were divided, and the DC Circuit had previously ruled against Exxon. The Supreme Court’s decision now clears the way for the lawsuit to proceed.
Tyler Durden Thu, 06/25/2026 - 22:10