Doubt sounded on ability of US arsenal to expand

The US defense industry may not have the materials, workers, or equipment to supply the heavy defense buildup the Reagan administration is pushing, says U.S. News & World Report.

"The industry today is only a shadow of the powerful 'Arsenal of Democracy' that churned out vast quantities of weapons during earlier crises," a report said. Experts told the magazine the situation casts doubt on the ability of the defense industry to provide the hardware President Reagan wants as part of his plan to pump an additional $184 billion into the defense budget over the next five years.