{"id":29624,"date":"2021-02-02T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-02T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:24:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:24:04","slug":"c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/","title":{"rendered":"The report card is in for the US defense industry\u2019s health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2015 The health of America\u2019s defense industrial base ranks a middling \u201cC\u201d due to growing cyber vulnerabilities, a poor ability to surge production in a crisis, and political obstacles for defense budgeting, according to a lead defense trade group\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndia.org%2FVitalSigns%2FDownload&#038;data=04%7C01%7Cjgould%40defensenews.com%7C279907474472420c0b9708d8c78ac90d%7C1d5c96e57ee2446dbed8d0f8c50edea5%7C1%7C0%7C637478746393572496%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&#038;sdata=ewLNoQlgIQ6TGYF%2BlaUjHaFYEG6GB7MOm5E8KQ2FYK8%3D&#038;reserved=0\" target=_blank>new study<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2020\/05\/02\/interview-ndias-wesley-hallman-on-a-liability-shield-and-other-defense-priorities-for-the-next-stimulus\/\" target=_blank>National Defense Industrial Association<\/a>\u2019s second annual \u201cVital Signs\u201d report, the defense industrial base entered the COVID-19 pandemic in a weakened state despite healthier marks for competition, profitability and demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report, released Tuesday, graded eight performance areas from 0 to 100 for an average score of 74 for the year 2020. Government data firm Govini co-produced the data-driven report, which used the Pentagon\u2019s 2018 assessment of the defense industrial base as a jumping off point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe defense industrial base is facing multiple headwinds: industrial security threats, flat future defense budgets, a shortage of skilled, cleared workers and decreased investments in the sciences that fuel U.S. innovation,\u201d NDIA\u2019s chief executive, Hawk Carlisle, said in a statement. \u201cAdd to these the increased regulatory burdens and barriers for new entrants, which continue to shrink both the number of companies that participate in the DIB and the number of new companies entering the defense marketplace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He added that the report, which makes no recommendations, ought to drive discussions as the Pentagon ramps up for competition with China and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/industry\/2020\/02\/05\/does-the-defense-industrial-base-deserve-a-passing-grade\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3512386.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Does the defense-industrial base deserve a passing grade?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">There are some positive signs for America&#039;s defense-industrial base, but several factors are a concern.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though the study predates both COVID-19 and the revelation that elite cyber spies have spent months secretly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/cyber\/2020\/12\/17\/its-going-to-take-a-lot-of-digging-the-pentagons-long-search-to-see-if-anyones-hiding-in-its-networks\/\" target=_blank>exploiting SolarWinds\u2019 software<\/a> to peer into computer networks, it raised alarms over industrial security. As data breaches and cybersecurity vulnerabilities both surged, industrial security overall showed \u201cclear and continued deterioration,\u201d ranking the lowest of all with a 56.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The industrial base\u2019s ability to meet surge demand during a crisis received a failing grade of 66. Companies NDIA surveyed said that in the first 30 days, the industrial base could ramp up quickly but the rate of progress would slow soon thereafter; more than a 100 percent increase would take 180 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than half of firms said the availability of skilled labor would be a factor in increasing defense production, and 16.5 percent said a gap in U.S.-based human capital was the most vulnerable part of their supply chain \u2015 in part fueled by a security clearance backlog. The size of the defense industry workforce fell to about 1.1 million people from its mid-1980s peak of 3.2 million, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/battlefield-tech\/it-networks-battlefield-tech\/2021\/02\/01\/pentagon-awards-30-million-contract-to-boost-processing-of-rare-earth-elements\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1163776725.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Pentagon awards $30 million contract to boost processing of rare earth elements<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The award comes as the federal government wants to wane its reliance on China for rare earth elements.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An analysis of public opinion, congressional action and regulatory action downgraded the \u201cpolitical and regulatory\u201d outlook by 10 points since 2018 \u2015 even prior to the pandemic and a related emphasis on domestic spending. A key factor was a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c4isrnet.com\/cyber\/2020\/12\/16\/dod-announces-cybersecurity-certification-pilots\/\" target=_blank>Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification<\/a> framework and its \u201cadditional regulatory burdens for all defense contractors,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also, public opinion in favor of defense spending saw its largest decline since the Reagan-era defense buildup of the 1980s: A Gallup poll found that 17 percent of respondents felt the United States is spending too little on national defense and military purposes, down from 25 percent in 2019 and 33 percent in 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Industry can be pleased the \u201cDemand\u201d category jumped 16 points, corresponding with an increase in contract obligations issued by the Department of Defense. DoD contract obligations grew from $329 billion in fiscal 2017 to $394 billion in fiscal 2020, marking about a 20 percent increase. Foreign military sales also grew by nearly 20 percent over the same time period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among all categories, major defense platforms \u2015 aircraft, naval vessels and land vehicles \u2015 were awarded the largest share of total contract obligation value, but contract obligation value for electronics and communication services grew 89 percent, leading all service categories.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The National Defense Industrial Association has released its annual &#8220;Vital Signs&#8221; report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":47929,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":13,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[10,106,29,13,32],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3331],"class_list":["post-29624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyber","category-daily-brief","category-home","category-industry","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"IGMV7N7P3BAZJFODPYJYCRIEG4","arc_canonical_url":"\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The report card is in for the US defense industry\u2019s health - C4ISRNet<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The National Defense Industrial Association has released its annual &quot;Vital Signs&quot; report.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The report card is in for the US defense industry\u2019s health\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The National Defense Industrial Association has released its annual &quot;Vital Signs&quot; report.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"C4ISRNet\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-02-02T15:30:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-07T23:24:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joe Gould\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joe Gould\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"The report card is in for the US defense industry\u2019s health\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-02-02T15:30:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T23:24:04+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 597,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1_cover_fixing.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Cyber\",\n\t                \"Daily Brief\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Industry\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"The report card is in for the US defense industry\u2019s health - C4ISRNet\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1_cover_fixing.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-02-02T15:30:00+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-07T23:24:04+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The National Defense Industrial Association has released its annual \\\"Vital Signs\\\" report.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1_cover_fixing.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/1_cover_fixing.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/2021\\\/02\\\/02\\\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Industry\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/industry\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"industry\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"The report card is in for the US defense industry\u2019s health\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"C4ISRNet\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Media for the Intelligence-Age Military | C4ISRNET\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"C4ISRNet\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c4isrnet-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/c4isrnet-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"C4ISRNet\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/c4isrnet\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The report card is in for the US defense industry\u2019s health - C4ISRNet","description":"The National Defense Industrial Association has released its annual \"Vital Signs\" report.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The report card is in for the US defense industry\u2019s health","og_description":"The National Defense Industrial Association has released its annual \"Vital Signs\" report.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/","og_site_name":"C4ISRNet","article_published_time":"2021-02-02T15:30:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-07T23:24:04+00:00","author":"Joe Gould","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joe Gould","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"The report card is in for the US defense industry\u2019s health","datePublished":"2021-02-02T15:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T23:24:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/"},"wordCount":597,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1_cover_fixing.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Cyber","Daily Brief","Home","Industry","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/","name":"The report card is in for the US defense industry\u2019s health - C4ISRNet","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1_cover_fixing.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2021-02-02T15:30:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-07T23:24:04+00:00","description":"The National Defense Industrial Association has released its annual \"Vital Signs\" report.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1_cover_fixing.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1_cover_fixing.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/2021\/02\/02\/c-grade-for-us-defense-industrys-health-warns-trade-group-report\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Industry","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/industry\/","ad_zone":"industry"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The report card is in for the US defense industry\u2019s health"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/","name":"C4ISRNet","description":"Media for the Intelligence-Age Military | C4ISRNET","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#organization","name":"C4ISRNet","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c4isrnet-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/c4isrnet-logo-white.png","caption":"C4ISRNet"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"C4ISRNet","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1_cover_fixing.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29624"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39569,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29624\/revisions\/39569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29624"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=29624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}