Strong DIB is key to deterrence through capability- adversaries perceive lapses in tech development

deputy director in the Forward Defense program of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. Prior to joining the Council, Levantovscaia served the US Chamber of Commerce as director for defense, aerospace, and acquisition policy.

Reading between the lines of the new US National Defense Industrial Strategy; Atlantic Council;

Sustaining a strong and resilient defense industrial base is paramount to US national security and stewardship of the current world order. The inability to produce new and innovative defense capabilities at speed and scale sends the wrong message to sophisticated adversaries looking to test the waters, which prompted the Pentagon to release its first-ever National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS) on January 11. A modern defense industrial ecosystem is “key to integrated deterrence and building enduring advantages,” the NDIS explains in its foreword. “Should deterrence fail,” it adds, “the NDIS postures our industrial ecosystem to provide our warfighters the necessary capabilities—at speed and scale—to defeat any nation that attempts to harm the security of the United States, our allies, and our partners.” The strategy acknowledges the dreadful plight nontraditional defense companies endure when attempting to partner with the Department of Defense, including prolonged periods required to adopt new capabilities. It also serves as a long-needed clarion call to modernize the US defense ecosystem. While the report has generated buzz across circles of stakeholders, exceeding the usual reach of such documents, this very popularity exposes a key paradox. The report’s strength as a rallying cry for a robust industrial base is hampered by an absence of specifics on implementation. Like a captivating manifesto light on concrete recommendations, the report risks igniting enthusiasm without a clear path forward. This feature may shield the strategy from naysayers poised to disagree with specific steps, but it also does little for acquisition managers and industry executives responsible for shaping defense industrial capabilities.