White House announces Ukrainian Defense Industrial Base Conference

The U.S. government intends to host a two-day Ukrainian Defense Industrial Base Conference next month that aims to connect industry representatives with government officials to “explore opportunities for co-production and other industrial cooperation in Ukraine,” according to the White House National Security Council.

The conference will run Dec. 6-7 and “is part of the U.S. government’s efforts to significantly increase weapons production to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom and security,” the NSC said.

The conference will include officials from the Departments of Defense, State, Commerce and the NSC, as well as officials from the Ukrainian government.

Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante teased the conference during the Politico Defense Summit earlier this week, saying DOD hopes to soon “pivot” toward helping to build out a domestic defense industrial base in Ukraine.

“Everyone wants to help Ukrainians build an indigenous capability,” he said.