By Merrick “Mac” Carey.

July 25, 2025 –President Donald Trump is leading a renaissance in U.S. Army and allied tank capability. During his first term as President, he reversed the Obama Administration’s plan to end American tank production and close the only tank manufacturing plant in America. Trump increased Abrams tank modernization funding by $1 billion per year, upgrading one armored brigade (90 tanks) annually. The tank industrial base was operating at full capacity with thousands of new jobs. President Trump also reintroduced Abrams tanks into NATO’s force structure after the Obama Administration withdrew them from Europe.

Trump also encouraged Poland to modernize its armored forces with the U.S. Abrams tank, resulting in Poland’s purchase of nearly 400 Abrams tanks to date. Poland still has a requirement for 800 additional tanks. As Trump’s first-term National Security Council chief of staff, Alex Gray, has said:

“President Trump has an innate understanding of the connection between America’s national security and a vibrant defense and manufacturing industrial base. His actions as President have shown a historic commitment to maintaining and growing that industrial base, with no better example from his first term than armored vehicles.”

In his second term, the 2026 Trump defense budget announced plans to accelerate the development and production of the new modernized M1E3 tank, incorporating lessons learned from the Ukraine conflict, with an emphasis on knocking down enemy attack drones. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll has managed to pull off a political miracle by securing a higher top budget line for his military service at a time when many thought land power would be a bill payer for the Western Pacific China fight. This enabled, among other things, a six-year acceleration of the M1E3 tank.

This Trump tank renaissance depends on a healthy industrial base capable of surging production to support increased foreign military sales (FMS) purchases by U.S. defense allies, such as Poland and Romania, as well as producing the M1E3. The Biden Administration reverted to the low Obama-era levels of tank modernization budgets, resulting in job losses and an anemic industrial base.

To ensure that the Trump tank renaissance continues, the President should:

—  Immediately restore the rate of Abrams tank upgrades to the Trump first term level (90 tanks per year) to sustain the armored vehicle industrial base. Much of this work is done in the heart of Trump country in Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. But after the downswing of the Biden years, the tank-making labor force is on the knife’s edge and facing imminent layoffs. Donald Trump will likely quickly reverse the Biden plan and return to his first-term level of tank production.

—  Encourage Poland to purchase additional Abrams tanks in 2025 in order to optimize the industrial base in both the U.S. and Poland and receive the most efficient unit price. Poland, in general, needs all the help it can get from the United States. That nation is buying $55 billion in military equipment from the USA. Poland should receive regulatory relief for faster transfers of high-tech equipment, such as Patriot missiles, Apache helicopters, and Abrams tanks. Poland is absolutely on the front lines and is the key to deterring a Russian attack on NATO. They are a serious country and an excellent ally.

—  Initiate M1E3 tank production in 2027-2028 as currently planned to ensure this new Trump tank is deployed into the U.S. Army before the end of the President’s second term.

President Trump has rejuvenated the U.S. Army’s main battle tank inventory. President Ronald Reagan initiated the production of the Abrams tank in the 1980s, and President Trump rescued and upgraded the world’s premier main battle tank. The pace of upgrades he supported, combined with the acceleration of the M1E3 new Trump tank, will ensure that the U.S. and its allies operate the most modern and effective tanks for decades.

This article was originally published on the Lexington Institute: Merrick “Mac” Carey | Lexington Institute

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