The Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) Directorate within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy (OASD(IBP)) recently hosted the inaugural Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) Symposium in San Diego, California from 11-12 September 2024. Approximately 500 people participated in the event, including senior leaders from government, industry, and the investment community who gathered to discuss the challenges facing the U.S. defense industrial base, share ideas, and brainstorm solutions.
Ms. Carla Zeppieri, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience (DASD(IBR)) gave opening remarks at the event. She stated that “the Defense Industrial Base Consortium (DIBC) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) plays a critical role in the implementation of the National Defense Industrial Strategy by enabling rapid prototyping through flexible acquisition mechanisms. The DIBC OTA provides MCEIP with access to innovative supply chain solutions from Industry, Academia, and non-traditional defense contractors, including our partners in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. This symposium offers an invaluable opportunity to learn and exchange perspectives when responding to the ever-changing landscape of defense requirements.”
DASD Zeppieri’s remarks were followed by an interagency panel discussion that included representatives from the Departments of Defense (DoD), Energy, and Commerce, as well as the Defense Logistics Agency.
During the event, there were breakout sessions for five critical sectors: strategic and critical materials, kinetic capabilities, energy storage and batteries, castings and forgings, and microelectronics. During the sessions, government subject matter experts shared insights into their strategic roadmaps and investment plans for each sector. Industry and investor panels for each sector followed that focused on the perspectives of these groups as they make buying and investment decisions, the challenges in working with DoD, and ways to improve communications.
This first annual DIBC Symposium was a critical step in creating enduring relationships rooted in the shared goal of building a modern and resilient defense industrial base. More information on the DIBC and the DIBC OTA is available at https://www.dibconsortium.org/about/.
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