Strategic Competition > Strategic Domains
Revitalizing Defense Industrial Base
America’s military strength depends on its industrial strength
“No alliance can deter if it cannot build. In today’s competitive era, credibility is measured in the capacity to produce, sustain, and deliver them when it counts.”
Kennedy has attende every day of AFA's Air & Space Forces Association's Air, Space and Cyber Conference for the last four years - shown here with Anduril's Fury Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA).
🔹 Strategic Context
- This page is part of WISC’s Strategic Competition framework, applying geoeconomic statecraft through the STEAD model — integrating Security, Technology, Economics, Alliances, and Diplomacy — to secure U.S. leadership across critical domains.
Why Revitalizing the Defense Industrial Base Matters
- The defense industrial base is the foundation of credible deterrence.
- Without sufficient capacity to:
- Innovate at speed
- Surge production in crisis
- Sustain forces across contested domains
- ...no defense strategy—however visionary—can succeed.
- Today, the U.S. and allied industrial bases face challenges from:
- Supply chain vulnerabilities
- Skilled workforce shortages
- Investment gaps in critical sectors
- Strategic dependencies on authoritarian states
- Revitalizing the defense industrial base is a strategic competition imperative.
Strategic Priorities for Revitalizing the Defense Industrial Base
- Expand Surge Production Capacity: Strengthen capabilities for munitions, platforms, cyber, and space systems to sustain high-intensity operations.
- Rebuild Strategic Supply Chains: Secure domestic and allied access to critical inputs for defense production, from rare earths to microelectronics.
- Strengthen Defense Innovation Pipelines: Accelerate transition from research to production through agile procurement, public-private partnerships, and venture-backed defense tech ecosystems.
- Develop and Retain Skilled Workforces: Expand STEM talent development and training pipelines for advanced manufacturing, engineering, and cyber defense sectors.
- Align Defense Industrial Strategy with Economic Policy: Integrate defense base revitalization efforts with broader industrial policy, supply chain security, and allied economic cooperation.
Insights & Engagements
🏛️ Engaging Administration or Congress, 📰 Op-Ed / Article / Quoted 🎙️ Podcast ✍️ Policy Brief 👥 Roundtable / Event 🎤 Speaking 🎥 TV/Video 🌐 Global
Aerospace - Space
Kennedy has attended every day of AFA's Air, Space & Cyber Conference for four consecutive years—engaging with military leaders, contractors, and emerging tech firms. He has championed the role of universities and private innovation clusters in accelerating defense readiness.
- 👥 Debrief on INTELSAT Satellite Operations by Peter Davidson - VP Global Government Affairs & Policy - February 26, 2025
- 👥 Northrop Grumman Space Briefing - Wilson Center Dialogue - July 11, 2022
- 👥 Tour Lockheed Space - Littleton, CO - November 12, 2019
Shipbuilding
Kennedy has worked to advance both U.S. and allied shipbuilding initiatives—from American yards to partnerships with Asia, Canada and Europe. His briefings and convenings emphasize infrastructure, workforce, and logistical integration.
- 👥 Portsmouth, NH Naval Shipyard - Briefing on Enlargement - May 31, 2024
Global Industrial Collaboration
🇺🇸 🇨🇦 🇫🇮 ICE Pact – Shipbuilding for the Arctic
🇺🇸 🇦🇺 🇬🇧 AUKUS – Submarine & Naval Integration
Closing Principle
The credibility of deterrence depends not just on the strength of today’s forces—but on the strength of tomorrow’s industrial surge.
👉 Related Pages
🔷 Featured Insights
It's Time for a Comprehensive National Maritime Strategy - Op-Ed in War on the Rocks with Dr. Jeff Kucik - March 28, 2024
360° View of America’s “ICE Pact” Polar Icebreaker Partnership with Canada and Finland - Wilson Center Experts - July 16, 2024