The New American Defense Industrial Base

The U.S. defense industrial base (DIB) has seen significant change over the course of the past decade, with new entrants and forms of financing changing how the Department of Defense (DoD) thinks about developing and procuring weapon systems. Concurrently, the government processes with which the DIB interacts have also undergone, and continue to undergo, significant change, driven both by Congress and the Department of Defense. These factors are evolving in real time, making this an opportune moment to assess the current state of the DIB and make recommendations for the continued development of this ecosystem.

Over the course of the next several months, the Center for a New American Security’s Defense Program will publish a series of essays written by a diverse set of experts including policymakers, defense industry practitioners, new entrants into the defense marketplace, and investors. This project aims to foster dialogue among the various parties in this ecosystem and generate actionable recommendations to improve the fielding of military capabilities to the warfighter.

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