Small business key for national security---government contracts

[Farooq, 10-14-21, U.S. Department of Defense, “Why Small Businesses Are Essential to U.S. National Security”, https://www.defense.gov/news/news-stories/article/article/2810965/why-small-businesses-are-essential-to-us-national-security/#:~:text=Small%20businesses%20are%20the%20engines,small%20businesses%20to%20national%20security., accessed: 7-16-24, AngH]

Small businesses are the engines of the U.S. economy, the heartbeat of communities, and the sources of U.S. global economic strength. This is often heard from the nation's leaders, but what is not often heard is the importance of small businesses to national security.

Since the middle of the 20th century, the Defense Department has relied on contributions from small businesses to make significant advances in defense capabilities. These contracts with small businesses enable citizens to benefit from technological advances in their everyday lives.

Companies most people know, such as Qualcomm and Symantec, and technologies, such as GPS and modern-day LASIK surgery, were developed from defense or other federal agency contracts. In fact, even Moderna's mRNA technology, which was used in its COVID-19 vaccine, was funded with a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency to research mRNA therapeutics in 2013.

Federal law requires government agencies to award a minimum of 23% of all contracts annually to small businesses, and DOD awards its proportional share. Last year, DOD's awards to small companies amounted to more than $80 billion, with 45% of those dollars going to disadvantaged and women-owned businesses, and those are just prime contracts.

While there are tens of thousands of small businesses with DOD prime contracts, there are almost an equal number of small businesses supporting the defense mission as sub-tier suppliers to large companies that produce major platforms and systems for DOD. These companies are innovators developing cutting-edge technologies; manufacturers producing critical parts and components; and service providers that bring some of the nation's best talent to the workforce.