One of the arguments for saving the big three US automakers from a financial meltdown is that it's a matter of national security.
LEVIN: It is that industrial base that produces the tanks the trucks, the planes the ships that are so important and the more that goes oversees the less secure we are.
That's Michigan senator, and auto industry supporter Carl Levin. Levin, along with Ohio senators Sherrod Brown and George Voinovich, has been insisting that the failure of the US auto industry would leave the country vulnerable. But retired Lt. Col. Dakota Wood takes issue with that. Speaking on NPR this morning, Wood said none of the big three US automakers produces any vehicles for the military.
WOOD: In vehicle manufacture it's virtually zero. There are a half dozen companies that produce virtually every land combat vehicle that the US uses and none of that includes Ford, Chrysler or General Motors.
Even Hummer, says Wood, is a commercial brand that has long since diverged from its military cousin the Humvee.
The department of Defense stands behind Wood's statements, noting that the domestic automotive giants basically exited the defense business in the 1980's, 90's and early 2000.
The DoD points out however that the military and commercial automotive sectors are connected to some degree through shared suppliers. A big three bankruptcy could spell financial difficulties for those suppliers and a shortage of parts for the military vehicle contractors who use them.
Gretchen Cuda, 90.3