Cramer Urges 5-Year Permitting Overhaul to Rebuild U.S. Defense Base Against China
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 10
Cramer Urges 5-Year Permitting Overhaul to Rebuild U.S. Defense Base Against China
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 10
Summary
Kevin Cramer called on Congress and the administration to treat permitting modernization as a national-security priority, arguing faster approvals are essential to rebuild U.S. weapons, shipbuilding, mining and power capacity against China.
China’s industrial edge anchors his case: its steel output is about 12 times America’s, shipbuilding capacity roughly 230 times larger, and projects are built three times faster, he said.
Cramer said long reviews are inflating costs as well as slowing output, adding 10% to 20% to defense infrastructure projects each year and pushing delays beyond five years that can double or triple final costs.
He tied the shortfall to recent wars, saying U.S. 155mm shell production rose to about 40,000 a month from 14,000 but still lagged Ukraine’s estimated 150,000 to 200,000 monthly need.
The senator urged lawmakers to legislatively approve defense supply-chain construction and limit further environmental and judicial review, while keeping environmental compliance, monitoring and enforcement requirements in place.
Must America sacrifice environmental safeguards to win the industrial race against its rivals?
As China commercializes brain-chips, can U.S. innovation outpace its own regulatory system?
Beyond ships and steel, is the next global defense frontier the human brain?
Cutting U.S. Permitting Timelines: The 5-Year Overhaul to Secure Defense Supply Chains and Critical Minerals (2024–2026)
Overview
Between 2024 and mid-2026, the U.S. recognized the urgent need for a more agile and responsive manufacturing and resource extraction ecosystem. This led to significant legislative and policy efforts to streamline permitting processes, most notably through the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. Building on previous reforms, the new law strengthened the Department of Defense supply chain by increasing the availability of qualified secondary sources for critical readiness items. By mandating expedited acceptance and qualification procedures and establishing dedicated panels in each military department, these reforms aim to reduce bureaucratic delays and enhance supply chain resilience for national security.