Defense Industrial and Innovation Base

The ability of U.S. companies and inventors to deliver innovation is one of America's greatest comparative advantages. However, DoD faces challenges in adopting that innovation to deliver path-breaking capabilities on time and within budget. Key questions include: What opportunities are there to leverage commercially developed technologies to support Joint Force needs at lower costs and/or with greater speed? What opportunities are there to leverage allies and partners' requirements and private-sector capacity to accelerate the delivery and lower the cost of mutually beneficial capabilities? What are the greatest barriers to lowering costs and speeding development and delivery of future capabilities? ARC submissions should describe changes DoD can make to either incentivize the private sector to deliver at acceptable cost, or to shift our behavior to better leverage industry's preferred models (provided they can support the warfighter's needs).

• Beers, Lt. Col. Shannon, "Lobbying Gone Wrong Contributes to 346 Deaths," AF Fellows portfolio (Georgetown), 2025, 20 pgs.
  • Beers argues that the greatest barriers to efficient capability development for the U.S. military are a lack of meaningful competition combined with unchecked corporate lobbying. Because Boeing is the only remaining large aircraft manufacturer in the United States, the Air Force is virtually forced to rely on them for large military cargo and refueling platforms. Beers points to the KC-46 aerial refueling tanker as a prime example: after a massive lobbying effort overturned an initial contract win by Airbus, the Air Force was saddled with a Boeing tanker plagued by manufacturing debris, a flawed electronic refueling system that blinded boom operators, significant delays, and massive cost overruns. He warns that without robust market competition and strict legislative checks on corporate lobbying, the Air Force will continue to receive substandard products while wasting taxpayer dollars.
• Darlington, Chase, "Reaping the Benefits of Additive Manufacturing to Mitigate Supply Chain Issues in Air Force Platforms," GCPME thesis, 2022, 37 pgs. 
• Gates, Maj. Justin M., "A Strategic Analysis of Advanced Technologies in Air Force Aviation Risk Mitigation," AFGC thesis, 2025, 46 pgs.
  • Gates argues that the Air Force must leverage commercial aviation advancements—specifically fourth-generation automation technologies like Fly-By-Wire (FBW), Flight Management Systems (FMS), and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out—to enhance flight safety and operational efficiency. He demonstrates the severe risks of failing to integrate with commercial standards by citing a near-miss between a commercial PSA Airlines flight and a military UH-60L helicopter that had its ADS-B transmission turned off, leaving the commercial airliner's collision avoidance system blind to the military aircraft. To safely support Joint Force needs in shared airspace, Gates recommends upgrading legacy aircraft to eliminate outdated second-generation technology and mandating the use of ADS-B Out during all non-sensitive military missions.
• Moss, Tytus M., "Guns, Butter and Narratives: The Real Version of Rock, Paper, Scissors," SAASS thesis, 2025, 84 pgs. 
  • Moss addresses the opportunities to leverage allies by demonstrating that a globally integrated DIB is the primary solution to overcoming severe domestic U.S. production shortfalls and raw material vulnerabilities. He highlights that the U.S. cannot internally meet its own demand for critical resources like lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, exposing the nation to the risks of "weaponized interdependence" from adversaries like China. To leverage partner capacity effectively, Moss's framework evaluates nations based on their existing research, development, and innovation (RDI), alongside their access to these critical minerals. By actively integrating these capable allies into the supply chain, the U.S. can gain asymmetric advantages, accelerate defense delivery, and establish a highly secure and redundant production network.
• Rhylander, Lt. Col. Erik P., "Key Factors to Achieving Significant Military Innovation," AWC Strategic Studies Paper, 2020, 25 pgs. 
• Ramos, Odini Nikolai, "Technology beyond Boundaries: Understanding the Collaborative Challenges of the DoD with the Private Sector," AF Global College thesis, 2024, 36 pgs. 
• Savage, Jeanne, "Strengthening Supply Chain Risk Management Planning: How Test and Evaluation Can Enhance Weapon System Security," AF Global College thesis, 2025, 52 pgs. 
• Shaw, David R., "Additive Manufacturing in Veterans Affairs," AWC Strategic Studies paper, 2018, 27 pgs. 
• Vander Does, Chris, "Biennial Budgets and Appropriations: Providing Financial Flexibility to the Fighting Force," AF Global College, 2024, 44 pgs. 
• Wallis, LCDR Emily T., "Reforming the Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution for Great Power Competition," AF Global College, 2024, 43 pgs. 
• Wing, Maj. Ryan D., "Maximizing the Benefits of Defense Innovation," AF Global College, 2025, 39 pgs.