The National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS) provides guidelines for creating an efficient defense/industrial ecosystem capable of quickly responding to the most dangerous adversaries. The strategy is explained in a free, downloadable 59-page document from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). It's designed to help industrial suppliers meet the rapidly changing requirements of quickly evolving technologies and threats.
Laura D. Taylor-Kale, assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, unveiled the strategy from the Pentagon (see image above, left). She said, “We are implementing the National Defense Industrial Strategy now to ensure that our defense industrial base continues to both strengthen our national security here at home while reassuring and supporting allies and partners.”
Taylor-Kale mentioned China as one of the nations seeking to disrupt the world’s political order and highlighted the United States’ continued support of Israel against Hamas and for Ukraine in that country’s war against Russia. She noted, “This arsenal of democracy helped win both world wars and the Cold War. And long into the future, it can and must provide that same enduring advantage in support of integrated deterrence.”
The NDIS explained the need for a modern defense-industrial ecosystem, including resilient supply chains to produce timely security and defense electronic systems. Supply chains can be established by establishing public-private partnerships, the use of risk-sharing mechanisms (with companies investing in extra capacity), and application of advanced technologies. Stockpiling critical and strategic systems is a solution for decreasing near-term risks.
In addition, the NDIS calls for strengthening economic security agreements and creating new mechanisms for sharing technology with allies.