THE PRESIDENT: It's a great plane. Great plane. So when is Boeing going to make one to compete with it? (Inaudible.) (Laughter.)
SECRETARY WILSON: They just gave us the T-X.
THE PRESIDENT: You know what, though? You do have - you do have that.
MR. MUILENBURG: We're in the fighter business, as well.
THE PRESIDENT: And you do have some good -
MR. MUILENBURG: We do a lot of work together.
THE PRESIDENT: And you do have some good stuff, I have to tell you. Some really good stuff. But you are going to one of the super stealths right?
MR. MUILENBURG: Yeah, we're working all together on future technologies and what will happen next, and next-generation capabilities.
THE PRESIDENT: Good. Next generation.
MR. MUILENBURG: Because I think it's important that we continue as a country to invest in that innovation.
THE PRESIDENT: I agree.
MR. MUILENBURG: Next-step capabilities. We're doing that jointly with our customers.
THE PRESIDENT: Wilbur, do you have anything? Yes.
MS. HEWSON: Can I just say that, you know, you make a very important point about how national security also drives economic security. And on the F-35, today it supports 194,000 jobs across the United States and 1,500 U.S. suppliers.
So not only does it have the high capability that we need to keep our citizens safe and to work with our allies to make sure that we have protect and - safe and secure environment for our people, but it also brings a lot of jobs. And even here at Luke, I think we have over 400 industry professionals, and that's growing to 700 in the next several years that are supporting F-35 on the base here. That's just a microcosm of all the jobs across the country.
THE PRESIDENT: Right.
MR. DEMURO: I would just add that another example. Even in combat vehicles, where the Army is recapitalizing its ground forces, the investments that are being made in the next generation as well as the modernization.
THE PRESIDENT: And you like what we're doing?
MR. DEMURO: Absolutely.
THE PRESIDENT: Do you agree with it?
MR. DEMURO: Eighteen-thousand jobs - Pennsylvania, Michigan, Alabama, Oklahoma, all around the country, as you go through the supply chain. So it's a model that's being repeated over and over again.
THE PRESIDENT: And you think we're doing the right thing?
MR. DEMURO: Absolutely. Securing the interest of the United States? Absolutely.
THE PRESIDENT: That's very good, thank you.
MS. SMITH: Mr. President, I'm Amber Smith, the President and CEO of the Tucson Metro Chamber. But more importantly, I am one of the founding members and the current president of the Southern Arizona Defense Alliance.
And to the Congresswoman's point, we do exceptionally well at supporting our military. In fact, in southern Arizona, we even have the statistics that - what was it - 93 percent of our citizens support the six installations in southern Arizona.
But what's really exceptional are the public-private partnerships. And you see that around this table. And I want to thank you for the leadership you have shown in recognizing some really incredible workforce development programs in which we are placing veterans into jobs in the aerospace and defense industry.
And I was talking to Secretary Ross about the backend technology of this, which you've recognized that, civilianizing those HR codes of military, we'll be able to better place the billions of dollars of exceptional talent we have in our military into these jobs to help immediately address some of these workforce issues, and then be able to build our pipeline as well.
So thank you very much for recognizing that that exists, and supporting our pilot program in Tucson.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you, Amber. That's very nice. Thank you.
Wilbur?
SECRETARY ROSS: We're going to help publicize the event, the product that's coming out of her workforce.
THE PRESIDENT: Good. That's great.
SECRETARY ROSS: It's a very interesting idea.
We also got some very good suggestions, before you came here, about space. So there are a couple of recommendations I'm going to carry forward to Vice President Pence, for the Space Council -
THE PRESIDENT: So we're doing a new force. You know that right?
How does the Air Force feel about that? But we're doing a brand new force. And it'll be the Space Force. And everybody is excited. Whenever I mention it, everybody goes crazy and they like it. And that's what it's all about, I guess.
You know, those planes are all beautiful. But we're now going into space. And that's for defense. I mean, we're not just talking about sending rockets up to the moon. We're talking about for defense and for offense.
So I think, pretty soon, it's been well received even in Congress, bipartisan. And pretty soon we're going to have Space Force, so that'll be number six. And this way it can be specific. We'll have a great genius like yourself, comparable, maybe not as good, but pretty good. (Laughter.) And it'll have an extra person sitting on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and it's going to be full force. It's going to very important. I think it's going to be a big contribution. Something very necessary.
Go ahead, Wilbur.
SECRETARY ROSS: So we had interchange about supply chain management, about all kinds of issues. And we especially addressed the problems of foreign procurement and the things that Congress can do to help them solve this problem.
So I thought it was a very, very worthwhile roundtable. I don't know how the rest of you felt, but it had very good interchange. And concrete suggestions will come from it.
THE PRESIDENT: Good. Thank you.
Mr. Secretary, what do you think?
DEPUTY SECRETARY SHANAHAN: Sure. I think a lot of things. (Laughter.) You know, I'm just going to start with, I think, where Representative Lesko was.
Thank you. You've made us stronger. Under your leadership, we are stronger. And with Congress's support, we've got a budget that makes us stronger. When you look at where we've come in terms of readiness, we now have the munitions that we lacked before. Ships are sailing, airplanes are flying. And the most important piece is we're training more.
Something that probably most people here would also echo is your advocacy on foreign military sales is huge. That has not -
THE PRESIDENT: It's hurting me right now.
DEPUTY SECRETARY SHANAHAN: I know, but -
THE PRESIDENT: Right now, it's hurting me with these people.
DEPUTY SECRETARY SHANAHAN: I know. But your advocacy is significant for this industrial base. And I think the most important aspect is the budget will allow us to modernize so that we can compete. The modernization is the single most important work that we have to get to undertake. And we're undertaking it.
And you know, as you've counseled me, we need to be good stewards, buy smart, not over specifying. I think we'll do that. But thank you very much.
THE PRESIDENT: And when you say "compete," I would like to say so that nobody can even come to close to competing with us, as opposed to just competing. Because what I'm really doing is putting us in a position where there's not going to be anybody even close.
And that's why we're - again, we're looking at all of the planes, all of the weapons, all of the rockets, all of the - everything, including, obviously, the nuclear. You hate to even bring up the nuclear because it's a - it's such an incredible threat. But we have no choice but to do it because others do it. It would be nice if nobody would do it. Right, Dennis? It would be great. But doesn't seem to be that way.
So I just want to thank everybody at the table. Would any of you folks have a question for anybody at the table? We have the greatest talent in the world at this table. Anybody have any questions?
Q Can we ask you one question about the Saudis, sir? There's been a reaction - there's been a statement from Saudi Arabia. (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. I just saw it. Just came out.
Q What was your reaction to that? Do you consider (inaudible)?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think it's a good first step. It's a big step. It's a lot of people. A lot of people involved. And I think it's a great first step.
You probably know that very fair person, Reuters - and you probably know that - you are; you're very good. Very, very good.
We have a tremendous order. Probably the people around this table have the vast percentage of the $110-billion order from Saudi. We have $450 billion. But on defense, we have $110 billion. And I would say, almost 100 percent of it would be sitting right around this table with the great companies. Raytheon is here, too. Just great companies.
It's very important. I don't want to tell them - I don't want to look over and tell Marillyn or Dennis, "By the way, we're going to take $25 billion worth of sales away from you," because that would mean a lot of jobs, it would mean a lot of everything.
And Saudi Arabia has been a great ally. But what happened is unacceptable. We are going to see. They've arrested - just for the people at the table - a large number of people having to do with the event that took place in Turkey and the consulate - the Saudi consulate. And it's a big first step. It's only a first step, but it's a big first step.
Q Do you consider it credible, their explanation, for -
THE PRESIDENT: I do. I do. I mean, it's - again, it's early. We haven't finished our review or investigation. But it's - I think it's a very important first step, and it happened sooner than people thought it would happen.
Q Did you know, sir, that it was a fistfight? And as result of the fistfight, Mr. Khashoggi was killed. (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I don't know that that was - I don't know that that's - I mean, that's a theory that's being thrown out. I don't think anybody said that. But they're saying there was a fight. But that's a theory that was put out. But they're going to be giving us a full report. But they have arrested a large number of people, and a good first step.
Yeah?
