In Focus: US Defense

The U.S. defense industrial base currently faces a critical mismatch between its legacy, platform-centric structure and the demands of modern, asymmetric warfare. While the U.S. maintains military superiority, the industry has become overly concentrated among five major prime contractors, leading to slow acquisition timelines and limited production scalability. Addressing these vulnerabilities requires a shift toward integrating commercial technology ecosystems with traditional defense manufacturing, similar to the rapid industrial mobilization seen during World War II. By fostering closer collaboration between the military and civilian sectors and adopting modular system designs, the U.S. can improve resilience and responsiveness. Jahangir Aziz and Steven Palacio emphasize that while intellectual property disputes and institutional inertia present significant hurdles, restructuring the relationship between research, development, and manufacturing is essential to maintaining a competitive edge against near-peer adversaries like China.