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The U.S. Defense Industrial Base: Can It Compete In The Next Century?

The National Security Institute at George Mason University’s Scalia Law School and Duco Experts are excited to publish: The U.S. Defense Industrial Base: Can It Compete In The Next Century? NSI and Duco surveyed over 100 national security, foreign policy, and intel experts on key provisions of the House- and Senate-passed versions of the FY 2021 NDAA, as well as on other critical national security topics.  This report summarizes the survey’s results and key findings include:

  • There is a greater threat perception of China vis-a-vis other adversaries, with a majority of survey respondents consistently supportive of defending against China even though doing so may have economic consequences.
  • There is near consensus that the United States’ military advantage is shrinking relative to key adversaries and one of the means of addressing this trend is by making it easier to procure domestic commercial technologies.
  • There is broad acceptance that the U.S. defense industrial base is vulnerable and that the federal government bureaucracy makes it harder for commercial firms to do business in the federal market, though there are differing opinions on the correct approach to strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base.
  • There is broad consensus that the Department of Defense (DoD) budget, requirements, and contracting processes are unnecessarily burdensome and too bureaucratic and that it is in the long-term interest of the DoD to engage in policy changes that make the process less bureaucratic in order to increase competition and foster a strong defense manufacturing base.

Experts who took the survey and shared their insight include:

  • (Ret.) Keith Alexander, former Director of the NSA and former Founding Commander of U.S. Cyber Command
  • Nora Bensahel, Visiting Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
  • Richard Ledgett, former Deputy Director of the NSA
  • Peter Singer, former Director of the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at Brookings
  • David Shedd, former Acting Director of DIA
  • Gen. (Ret.) John Wharton, Ret. Commanding General of the Army Research, Development & Engineering Command

Click here to read the complete report.