The threat

Several diplomatic sources familiar with the matter say this new directive reflects a sharp reversal in traditional U.S. foreign-policy posture, as the State Department is now calling for help from countries including those the United States has delivered vital foreign assistance to for years. The email comes from an official at the Office of U.S. Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia—an office that under normal circumstances coordinates delivering U.S. aid and assistance to countries in Europe and Eurasia, not the other way around. foreignpolicy

MR. NAVARRO
Now, what we’re seeing on a purely voluntary basis — based on the leadership of this administration — we’re seeing the greatest mobilization in the industrial base since World War Two. And, every day, I’m working with organizations and companies — National Association of Manufacturing, the National Council of Textile Organizations, and so on — in terms of building up, rapidly, our capabilities to get what you need.
 THE PRESIDENT
So what we’re doing is — I think Peter said it maybe better than anybody is going to say it. We have the threat of doing it, if we need it. We may have to use it somewhere along the supply chain, in a minor way. But we have millions of masks being done. We have respirators. We have ventilators. We have a lot of things happening right now. So just the threat of using it.

But using it’s actually a big deal. I mean, when this was announced, it sent tremors through our business community and through our country because, basically, what are you doing? You’re talking about — you’re going to nationalize an industry or you’re going to nationalize — you’re going to take away companies. You’re going to tell companies what to do.
Briefing 22 March 2020

Trump mette a rischio la vita dei suoi connazionali.
Per il momento l'entrata in vigore "virtuale" del Defense Production Act non sembra avere fornito sufficiente copertura. Se si tiene in considerazione il difficile rapporto con gli alleati, e il momento ancora più difficile che tutti stanno attraversando, non si arriverà a livelli ottimali nemmeno con le minacce verso le nazioni che più hanno beneficiato del sostegno degli Stati Uniti negli ultimi anni.