New tools, longstanding partnerships and additional resources could be the keys to bolster the defense industrial base.The War Department is diversifying its inventory by working with startups and playing the long game through extended agreements with established contractors."I do think these are unprecedented deals," Undersecretary of War for Acquisitions and Sustainment Michael Duffey said. "Nobody's been able to deliver the quality and the performance that Tomahawk and the Patriot provide for our war fight."A Tomahawk cruise missile is displayed during a U.S.military exercise.
(U.S.Navy via Getty Images)The War Department has been announcing multi-year weapons production contracts. Some agreements extend as long as seven years, including a $22.9 billion deal with Raytheon for Tomahawk missiles, a $1 billion framework with Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin for THAAD components and a $58.62 billion contract with Lockheed Martin for Patriot Missile Segment Enhancements. INSIDE AMERICA'S LASER REVOLUTION AS THE MILITARY NEARS BIG BATTLEFIELD BREAKTHROUGH"In the case of Patriots, it was a three-times production increase over what we were producing this past year," Duffey said.
"We have a lot of new entrants that are bringing new great technology into the industry."The War Department is also investing more in new technology.The Department of War Innovation Unit works with commercial companies and startups to adopt new weapons and defense capabilities.
Its budget has skyrocketed to nearly $1 billion in recent years. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Tex.) (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)"I think the startups are going to be kind of the future.The primes have their purpose.
They build the big weapon systems.They build aircraft carriers.
But it takes a long time to move that ship in the right direction," Rep.Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said. "The startups, just like we saw in Ukraine, have this ability of innovation to move at a faster spe...