The next is a transcript of an interview with Jim Taiclet, the president and CEO of Lockheed Martin, that aired Sunday, Could 8, 2022, on "Face the Nation."
MARGARET BRENNAN: We now flip to Jim Taiclet, the CEO of protection large Lockheed Martin, which makes a few of the weapons the US is sending to Ukraine in its combat towards Russia. Good morning to you, sir.
JIM TAICLET: Good morning, Margaret. Glad Mom's Day to you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Thanks very a lot for saying that. We hear again and again one of the crucial highly effective instruments the Ukrainians have are these anti-tank, Russian tank busting missiles referred to as javelins. That is what your organization collectively produces with Raytheon. How rapidly are you able to scale up manufacturing to get extra to them and to backfill what the US has given up?
TAICLET: Positive, Margaret. Effectively, the president visited us in Troy, Alabama, to thank the workforce earlier this week, and we actually admire what he is finished for us. We're due to this fact on our facet, accelerating our funding in that manufacturing facility and in our workforce there. So we're already investing forward of time to purchase tooling, to broaden the plant and likewise help our suppliers to get able to ramp up manufacturing. So proper now, our capability is 2,100 Javelin missiles per 12 months. We're endeavoring to take that as much as 4,000 per 12 months, and that may take various months, perhaps even a few years to get there as a result of we now have to get our provide chain to-to additionally crank up. As we accomplish that, we expect we are able to nearly double the capability in an affordable period of time.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Raytheon had mentioned that the totally different system, the Stingers, they could not even get occurring ramping that up till 2023. However you can begin when precisely?
TAICLET: We're beginning now to ramp it up as a result of we now have an lively manufacturing line proper now that the president noticed. And in addition, we have a provide chain that is lively along with that. So we are able to begin turning up the warmth now and- and ramping the manufacturing instantly due to these circumstances.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You said- nicely you implied- you're- you are principally doing it on spec, proper. You are anticipating that order goes to return via from the US authorities. However you are a enterprise particular person, you need to plan forward. We do not know the way lengthy this battle goes to final. CIA says, you understand, Vladimir Putin thinks he is bought a double down right here. So how lengthy are you planning for with this ramp up?
TAICLET: Effectively, we're planning for the long term and never simply within the Javelin, as a result of this case, the Ukraine battle, has highlighted a few actually necessary issues for us. One is that we have to have superior techniques in giant sufficient numbers. So like Javelin, Stingers, superior cruise missiles, tools like that. So we all know there's going to be elevated demand for these sorts of techniques from the US and for our allies as nicely and past into Asia-Pacific, almost definitely too. The second actually precious lesson was management of the airspace is basically vital. So the Ukrainians are managing to manage their airspace. The Russian air drive would not have free rein over your complete nation. And the explanation that they do not is as a result of the Ukrainians can nonetheless fly their plane they usually even have a reasonably efficient built-in air and missile protection system. So merchandise and techniques like F-16, F-35, Patriot missiles, VAD missiles. We all know that there is going to be elevated demand for these sorts of apparatus, too, as a result of the menace between Russia and China is simply going to extend even after the Ukraine battle, we hope is over quickly. These two nations and regionally, Iran and North Korea will not be going to get much less lively. In all probability they are going to get extra lively. So we need to ensure we can-can provide our allies and our nation what they should defend towards that.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So what do you'll want to try this? Since you did say provide chain's a problem. I learn that there is over 250 microchips or semiconductors in every javelin.
TAICLET: That is proper.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We all know there's an effort in Congress to get laws to attempt to create extra semiconductors right here as a substitute of counting on Asian suppliers. Are you able to do that scale up with out that type of laws?
TAICLET: Will probably be extraordinarily useful to have the Bipartisan Innovation Act handed, for instance, as a result of we do want to take a position extra within the infrastructure within the US so we now have home provide, particularly in microprocessors. And so our manufacturing line can run in the present day, however sooner or later we will want extra home functionality and microprocessor, not solely design however manufacturing, testing, and many others., in order that we now have assured provide of these microprocessors sooner or later. They usually'll be different inputs, too. However that is one of many highlighted ones.
MARGARET BRENNAN:However we have heard on this program again and again for enterprise folks, how necessary that's to get finished. Congress nonetheless hasn't voted on it, voted it via. Do you've any commitments from anybody right here in Washington to- to get this to the president's desk quickly?
TAICLET: Effectively, we all know that there is a whole lot of help for it, each in Congress and the administration-
MARGARET BRENNAN: As a result of it takes time to scale up.
TAICLET: And many others.. Sure, it does. It takes years. And so we're collaborating proper now, for instance, with Intel, it is one in every of our companions and making an attempt to drive what we name twenty first century safety into nationwide protection. And we will want probably the most superior processors and we will want them to be customizable to protection wants as nicely. So having that home functionality, once more, to. Throughout manufacturing and testing goes to be extra necessary sooner or later than it's even in the present day.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You additionally make F-35 fighter jets you referenced there. Germany is now making an attempt to purchase them. I imply, you've a whole lot of patrons in Europe proper now probably. Do you've sufficient employees to satisfy all of those requests?
TAICLET: We've sufficient now. However we all know, like, for instance, within the F-16 line as nicely that we're build up in South Carolina truly. We want extra employees. And so we're recruiting closely. We have a really robust workforce in Fort Value, Texas, the place we make the F-35. In order that manufacturing line is working simply effective now. We have adequate staff there to do this. However in different elements of the nation and in the end in Texas, we will want to truly rent extra folks.
MARGARET BRENNAN: All proper. Thanks very a lot for giving us perception into what you are promoting.
TAICLET: Glad to do it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And being right here in particular person. We'll be proper again.