DIB vital to the economy- provides a manufacturing base that is resilient to shocks

president of J.A. Green & Company, a government relations firm based in Washington, D.C. He previously served with the House Armed Services Committee and the U.S. Defense Department.; Lawmakers must find common ground to support the defense-industrial base; Defense News; https://www.defensenews.com/opinion/commentary/2019/01/11/lawmakers-must-find-common-ground-to-support-the-defense-industrial-base/

The great benefit of DPA and other industrial-base programs is that, while they ensure the defense-industrial base is able to supply the war fighter, they also deliver very substantial non-security benefits. For instance, a strong defense-industrial base expands opportunities by assisting women and minority-owned businesses to establish a presence in the market, diversifying local economies across the U.S. and indirectly sustaining a large number of jobs outside of the defense industry. Second, stability in the defense portion of the manufacturing sector acts as ballast in an otherwise volatile portion of the economy, giving local communities that are dependent on manufacturing jobs a modicum of protection from the vicissitudes of international trade flows. Third, these programs help preserve a core manufacturing skill set in an economy that is growing increasingly service-sector dominated. Although the overall upward trend in defense spending may come under pressure in the years ahead, Congress should continue robust funding for industrial-base programs given the significant economic benefits, especially in comparison to their rather modest percentage outlay of the overall defense budget. In the last defense appropriations bill, industrial-base programs counted for less than 0.1 percent of the Pentagon’s budget.