Stephen Feinberg, then the nominee for deputy secretary of defense, during his confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 25, 2025. Feinberg, the deputy secretary of defense, has been charged with trying to help rejuvenate the U.S. defense industrial base. (Eric Lee/The New York Times) By EDWARD WONG, REBECCA F. ELLIOTT and ANATOLY KURMANAEV As the U.S. government faced shortcomings in the country’s weapons manufacturing, the Pentagon set up a new office that would make…
