The U.S. cannot sustain high consumption of military systems designed for small-scale manufacturing. As Iran drains the Pentagon’s stockpiles, orders for missiles are outpacing what defense contractors can provide, resulting in backlogs. Unsatisfied with the timelines for current production rates, the U.S. is pushing to expand the defense industrial base. 

This will also take time: today’s factories will need 3 years to replace every Patriot missile used in the war, and the promise to triple output won’t materialize until the end of 2030. Fixing this requires changing where the government spends on defense, not just how much. Instead of relying solely on munitions intended to be the best money can buy, the U.S. should embrace those intended to be cheap and good enough.

The high speed growth of advanced technologies creates a major advantage for the United States, but it places great pressure on workforce development.  Despite heavy U.S. investment in STEM talent, too much falls through the cracks. The problem is not a lack of STEM programming. Across the country, high schools, community colleges, universities, community organizations, government agencies, and industry engage in STEM training, education, internships, scholarships, and certificate programs.

Despite their widespread reach, these talent development efforts do not add up to a coherent system that can meet demand. Too often, they operate in isolation. Some may succeed individually, but the connections among them are often weak, informal, or dependent on individual relationships.