Workforce Needs
Assessing and Strengthening Manufacturing and DIB Resiliency
In 2017, Executive Order 13806 launched a government-wide effort to assess and strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base and critical supply chains. Led by the Department of Defense, the review identified key vulnerabilities and offered recommendations to improve resilience and support national security.
In 2017, the President issued Executive Order 13806 aimed at evaluating and bolstering the U.S. defense industrial base (DIB) and supply chains critical to national security. The Executive Order emphasized the need for a “whole-of-government” assessment to address vulnerabilities like declining manufacturing capacity, supply chain risks, and economic threats from foreign competition.
The Department of Defense (DoD) coordinated a comprehensive interagency review. The key deliverable was a report assessing DIB strengths and weaknesses, identifying risks, and recommending actions to enhance resiliency.
Key Elements of the Response Report
The report, titled Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States, highlighted an “unprecedented set of challenges” eroding the DIB, including:
The report proposed over 240 recommendations, categorized into short-term (immediate actions) and long-term (strategic reforms) solutions, such as:
Key Workforce Recommendations
The report highlights the diminishing STEM and trades skill sets as a significant risk to the resiliency of the U.S. manufacturing and defense industrial base. This is due to a variety of well documented reasons: changing demographics, perception of manufacturing and cultural bias, as well as long term off-shoring of manufacturing.
The report proposes a range of cross-cutting and sector-specific strategies to address these challenges, emphasizing education, training, incentives, and policy reforms. Below is a summary table of the primary recommendations.
Category
Skills Development & Education Pipeline
Recommendation
Accelerate domestic STEM and trade skills growth
Details/Action
Target projected needs (e.g., +962,000 STEM jobs by 2026; machinists to 343,200 by 2024, +7.8%; industrial mechanics to 201,000, +13.2%). Coordinate DoD, Dept. of Education, and Commerce to identify critical occupations using BLS data and 2018 SOC codes. Develop federal/state/academic programs for future skills like programming and automated systems maintenance (e.g., CNC operators).
Category
Apprenticeships & Training Programs
Recommendation
Establish Task Force on Apprenticeship Expansion
Details/Action
Led by Dept. of Labor to promote apprenticeships in manufacturing/defense sectors with insufficient programs. Restructure Defense Acquisition University as a hub for workforce education and acquisition agility training. Offer tuition reimbursement and incentives for recruitment/retention.
Category
Barrier Reduction & Mobility
Recommendation
Eliminate occupational licensing restrictions
Details/Action
Enable geographic mobility for skilled workers (e.g., to shipyards or depots). Streamline security clearances via Defense Vetting Directorate and analytics; allow “transfer in status” for clearances and lift 180-day hiring ban for ex-military technicians (per 5 U.S. Code 3326). Mitigate shutdown/furlough impacts on STEM retention.
Category
Sector Specific Hiring &
Funding
Recommendation
Fund R&D and stabilize orders for targeted sectors
Details/Action
Aircraft: Maintain design teams and fund knowledge transfer. Shipbuilding: Hire welders/casters amid 6–17% job declines. Nuclear: Increase citizen STEM graduates. Ground Systems: Stabilize orders to preserve labor. Machine Tools: Build continuous education pipelines. DoD Maintenance: Train for new tech and remove statutory hiring barriers.
Category
Transition to Future Economy
Recommendation
Prioritize training for emerging roles
Details/Action
Shift from declining traditional jobs (e.g., assemblers, mold makers) to growth areas like CNC programmers and machinery troubleshooters. Address shortages in specific roles (e.g., software developers for radar, biophysicists) through enhanced recruitment.
