John Pfeifer on defense contracting
From Oshkosh Corporation CEO John Pfeifer on Innovation at CES 2026 | Bloomberg Businessweek · · Bloomberg Podcasts
“I'm not going to make a comment on that. A minority of our revenue for Oshkosh Corporation comes through the defense business — in fact it's about 10% — so I really don't know that this even applies to us.”
On , John Pfeifer, President, Chief Executive Officer & Director at OSHKOSH CORP, spoke about defense contracting during Oshkosh Corporation CEO John Pfeifer on Innovation at CES 2026 | Bloomberg Businessweek on Bloomberg Podcasts.
About John Pfeifer
John Pfeifer, president and CEO of Oshkosh Corporation, has emphasized the company's focus on integrating artificial intelligence, autonomous functionality, and electrification into its purpose-built vehicles for sectors including fire and emergency services, construction, airports, and refuse collection. At CES 2026, Pfeifer described Oshkosh's theme as "technology for the everyday hero," showcasing autonomous vehicles for airport ground operations and AI-driven refuse collection vehicles that can learn to distinguish between objects like a garbage can and a mailbox. He stated that the company is applying "moments of autonomy" across its product lines to improve safety and productivity, and predicted that full autonomy may first appear in airport markets. Regarding the business environment, Pfeifer noted that Oshkosh has been engaging in what he called "tariff engineering" to mitigate the effects of trade policy changes, moving supply chains and reshoring production where possible. He stated that defense revenue accounts for about 10% of the company's total revenue. Pfeifer also highlighted the economic benefits of electrification for route-based fleets, citing the U.S. Postal Service's new delivery vehicles as an example, and said the company is "all systems go" on that contract. He expressed that Oshkosh is "underrecognized for the technological lead" it holds in the industry.