WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC) welcomed the Trump Administration’s latest action to secure America’s national security supply chains by waiving procedural sections of the Defense Production Act to accelerate investments in the Defense Industrial Base. The memorandum allows the federal government to move more quickly to ensure that critical supply chains can receive targeted federal investment when market forces alone cannot deliver the speed or scale required for national security.
“America’s defense readiness depends on reliable domestic supply chains for materials, components, and manufacturing capacity,” said Steve Christensen, executive director of the Responsible Battery Coalition. “By enabling faster use of Defense Production Act authorities, President Trump is giving the Department of War the flexibility it needs to support strategic industries and address choke points in our supply chains that adversaries are exploiting.”
The memorandum applies to the core sectors that make up America’s defense industrial base, including aircraft, ground vehicles, shipbuilding, electronics, communications systems, and the broader industrial manufacturing ecosystem that supports these sectors. Every one of these systems depends on reliable battery power, beginning with the starter batteries that ensure vehicles, aircraft, ships, generators, and critical equipment function when needed.
“President Trump’s efforts will help suppliers move projects forward with speed and certainty,” said Larry Keith, CEO of ENTEK and member of the RBC. “America has the technical know-how and manufacturing talent to build resilient battery supply chains here at home. Actions like this help create the conditions for companies to invest in production, workforce, and infrastructure aligned with America’s national security interests.”
Strengthening domestic battery manufacturing, recycling, and critical mineral recovery is foundational to keeping America’s economy running and its military ready.
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About the Responsible Battery Coalition
The RBC is a coalition of companies, academics, and organizations committed to the responsible management of the batteries of today and tomorrow. Members include: Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, Capital City Ventures, Clarios, ENTEK, FedEx, Honda, and O’Reilly Auto Parts. RBC was created in April 2017 to advance the responsible production, transport, sale, use, reuse, recycling, and resource recovery of transportation, industrial, and stationary batteries and other energy storage devices. For more information: https://www.responsiblebatterycoalition.org/
