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Discussion on U.S. Defense Industry: Exploring Hardware to Software in MWI Podcast

US Military Readiness Depends on Multiple Factors: Skilled Recruitment, Appropriate Force Structure, Advanced Training, Global Alliances, and Partnerships. These elements combined create a US joint force capable of tackling the hurdles in the contemporary global operational setting. However,...

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US Armed Forces depend on various key factors. Attracting and maintaining skilled personnel, an...
US Armed Forces depend on various key factors. Attracting and maintaining skilled personnel, an appropriate force organization, advanced training programs, a worldwide alliance network—all these play a significant role in creating a prepared US joint force. However, history demonstrates that preparedness also hinges on the effective management of these components within today's global operational landscape. Yet, it's crucial to remember that readiness can be compromised if these elements are not optimally managed and coordinated.

Discussion on U.S. Defense Industry: Exploring Hardware to Software in MWI Podcast

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Get the lowdown on beefing up the US defense industrial base (DIB) for future great power conflicts, straight from the experts!

In the latest episode of the MWI Podcast, host John Amble is joined by senior fellow and deputy director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security, Becca Wasser. Waser co-authored the report "From Production Lines to Front Lines: Revitalizing the U.S. Defense Industrial Base for Future Great Power Conflict."

Waser discusses the current challenges facing the DIB, including the significant weakening of the base due to decades of global outsourcing and deindustrialization. She also highlights the urgent need for reform and integration, demonstrated by recent conflicts that exposed critical shortcomings in speed, scale, and resilience of U.S. and allied defense production.

To prepare the DIB for upcoming great power competition, recommendations include addressing the current challenges and vulnerabilities, strategic foresight and innovation, a software-defined, commercially-first industrial base, better integration with allies and partners, policy and legislative support, and novel mobilization planning. By following these steps, the U.S. can rebuild a resilient, agile, and globally integrated defense-industrial ecosystem capable of deterring and prevailing in great power conflict.

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Image credit: Senior Airman Mary Bowers, US Air Force

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The report "From Production Lines to Front Lines: Revitalizing the U.S. Defense Industrial Base for Future Great Power Conflict" emphasizes several key strategies for preparing the U.S. defense industrial base (DIB) for upcoming great power competition, including:

  • Addressing current challenges and vulnerabilities, such as the significant decline in manufacturing capacity over the past decades, brittle industrial capacity, and critical shortcomings exposed by recent conflicts.
  • Strategic foresight and innovation to build scalable solutions, modernize toward a software-driven and commercially-integrated industrial base, expand global defense production resilience through stronger industrial integration with allies, and implement strategic, early mobilization planning that aligns industry with operational demands.
  • Policy and legislative support, including addressing bureaucratic inertia and outdated congressional appropriations processes, and updates to the National Defense Authorization Act, to enable timely scaling of military platforms and production capabilities.

By following these recommendations, the U.S. can rebuild a resilient, agile, and globally integrated defense-industrial ecosystem capable of deterring and prevailing in great power conflict.

  1. To strengthen the US defense industrial base (DIB) against future great power conflicts, a focus on addressing current challenges such as the decline in manufacturing capacity, building scalable solutions, and emphasizing strategic foresight and innovation is essential.
  2. For a robust and globally integrated defense-industrial ecosystem, strategic partnerships with allies, policy and legislative support, and early mobilization planning that aligns industry with operational demands will be key to deterring and prevailing in great power competition.

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