CRITICAL THINKING


Action Plans P


A host of stakeholders speak frankly on what the Army needs to do to preserve its industrial base


reserving the unique and often highly specialized skills and capabilities of the Army industrial base is critical to the Army and to the nation. In addition to the organic industrial base, companies both large and small in the commercial base offer critical or hard-to-make products and services that ultimately result in


critical systems that help maintain the U.S. military’s superiority.


Yet fiscal austerity is likely to constrain U.S. spending on national security even as the Army faces growing complexities and multifaceted dangers. Some of those companies may be at risk of losing their indigenous capabilities to develop and produce critical goods and services. So, too, may some of the Army’s own organic capabilities be at risk of ramping down to the point that they are no longer readily available.


“Critical Tinking” generally offers the perspective of a single thought leader from outside DOD and the defense industry on issues faced by the Army AL&T community. Our intent is to provide fresh opinion and expertise on difficult challenges. However, for this issue, we took a slightly different approach.


It’s clear that, just as the Army’s industrial base is broad and complex, so, too, are the inter- ests and concerns of those who work in and around it. With that in mind, rather than reach out to a single individual with multiple questions, Army AL&T magazine reached out to multiple individuals with a single question:


QUESTION OF THE DAY The current and future health of the Army industrial base, against a backdrop of reduced defense spending and continuing national budgetary pressures, was a topic of much discussion at the AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, DC. (Photo courtesy of AUSA)


In your opinion, what does the U.S. Army need to do in the very short term, in the near term and in the long term to protect the skills and capabilities of its industrial base?


Here are the answers from 10 individuals representing a cross-section of big and small defense businesses, think tanks and interest groups. Tese views are the opinions solely of the individu- als and do not reflect the policy or viewpoints of Army AL&T, the U.S. Army or DOD.


86 Army AL&T Magazine


January–March 2014


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