Globalization and Its Implications for the Defense Industrial Base

Authored by Dr. Terrence R. Guay.

March 2007

84 Pages

Brief Synopsis

The forces of globalization present challenges, risks, and opportunities to virtually every industry in every country. One of the most important implications of globalization is its effect on the economic competitiveness of countries and particular industries. The author explores how key elements of globalization have transformed national defense industries around the world, and how these changes will affect the U.S. defense industrial base in the coming years. He focuses on elements of globalization that are relevant especially to the defense industry: the globalization of capital (finance), production, trade, technology and labor, and the changes in global governance that structure the forces of globalization. He concludes by offering ten recommendations for policymakers who have the difficult task of maximizing U.S. economic competitiveness without compromising national security.

Summary

This monograph examines the impact of globalization on the U.S. defense industrial base. After providing a brief overview of globalization’s general effects on countries and companies and the current structure of the global defense industry, the author examines how elements of globalization are shaping the strategies of defense companies. He focuses on those elements of globalization that are of particular importance to the defense industry. They include the globalization of capital (finance), production, trade, technology and labor, and the changes in global governance that structure the forces of globalization. The author concludes by offering 10 recommendations on how U.S. Government, military, and companylevel policies can preserve the U.S. defense industrial base during the current era of globalization. The recommendations revolve around three themes: 1) Globalization is blurring the distinction between a domestic and foreign defense company, and policies that aim to keep this artificial distinction are not helping either national security or the defense industrial base; 2) workers are a defense company’s most important asset, and policies should be designed to have the best educated and trained workers designing and building U.S. weapons systems; and, 3) the relationship between globalization and technology provides both risks and opportunities, and policies geared toward preserving a perceived U.S. advantage in technology may prove to be detrimental to both national security and economic competitiveness.

Access Full Report [PDF]: Globalization and Its Implications for the Defense Industrial Base