{"id":61001,"date":"2022-02-15T17:10:14","date_gmt":"2022-02-15T17:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/02\/15\/pentagon-worried-about-mergers-especially-among-hypersonic-weapons-suppliers\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:35:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:35:38","slug":"pentagon-worried-about-mergers-especially-among-hypersonic-weapons-suppliers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/global\/2022\/02\/15\/pentagon-worried-about-mergers-especially-among-hypersonic-weapons-suppliers\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon worried about mergers, especially among hypersonic weapons suppliers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2015 New recommendations released Tuesday to boost defense industrial base competition make clear the Pentagon is concerned about industry consolidation, particularly around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2021\/11\/20\/heres-the-three-companies-selected-to-design-hypersonic-missile-interceptors-for-mda\/\" target=\"_blank\">hypersonic weapons<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report from DoD\u2019s acquisition and sustainment office, which says broadly that consolidation poses a national security risk, marks the strongest U.S. government pressure against merger and acquisition activity since the defense secretary in 2015 discouraged deals among the largest prime contractors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report was published just days after Lockheed Martin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/industry\/2022\/02\/13\/lockheed-martin-says-its-effort-to-acquire-aerojet-is-over\/\" target=\"_blank\">cancelled<\/a> its $4.4 billion purchase of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/industry\/2022\/01\/25\/lockheed-says-planned-aerojet-acquisition-faces-federal-antitrust-roadblock\/\" target=\"_blank\">Aerojet Rocketdyne<\/a> amid opposition from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/industry\/2022\/01\/26\/federal-trade-commission-alleges-lockheed-had-tried-to-limit-competition-before-aerojet-deal\/\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Federal Trade Commission<\/a>, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/industry\/2022\/02\/02\/why-the-ftcs-lawsuit-could-chill-the-market-for-defense-deals\/\" target=\"_blank\">argued<\/a> the deal would have let Lockheed cut off other contractors from vital components Aerojet provides, including scramjet engines for hypersonic missiles and control systems for missile interceptors.<\/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\/2022\/02\/04\/top-pentagon-officials-met-with-industry-executives-about-hypersonics-what-comes-next\/\" 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\/AP21362666705962.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\">Top Pentagon officials met with industry executives about hypersonics. What comes next?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Experts say the Pentagon&#039;s call for progress on hypersonic weapons development must be backed up with fiscal 2023 investments in much-needed testing infrastructure.<\/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\">Along similar lines, the Pentagon report warns of large hypersonic weapons vendors acquiring their suppliers, in the vein of Lockheed\u2019s 2020 purchase of the company i3\u2032s hypersonics business. It argues the trend could eventually lead to sole-source contracting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWithin this sector, many primes, first-tier subcontractors, and first-tier material suppliers are positioning themselves to acquire lower-tiered hypersonic contractors and material suppliers,\u201d the report reads. \u201cThis vertical integration will likely lead to reduced competition and may eliminate it altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The small suppliers of feeder technologies for hypersonic weapons need to be protected now, as demand is growing, the report contends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAcquisition of these specialized hypersonic niche contractors (especially at this early stage of hypersonic technology and hypersonic missile development) will effectively prevent any other company from entering the market, thereby leading to reduced or limited competition, and capacity issues in the future,\u201d the report argues. \u201cWhen competition is no longer a variable for a company the only other acquisition approach may be sole-source contracting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the U.S. locked in a race with Russia and China to develop hypersonic weapons, the report is just the latest signal of concern from the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks earlier this month <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/industry\/2022\/02\/04\/top-pentagon-officials-met-with-industry-executives-about-hypersonics-what-comes-next\/\" target=\"_blank\">convened a meeting<\/a> of more than a dozen defense executives to gather feedback on speeding up hypersonic weapons development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The overall report, titled the \u201cState of Competition within the Defense Industrial Base,\u201d stems from President Joe Biden\u2019s July 9 executive order aimed at increasing competition and raising wages, which in turn called on the Pentagon to recommend ways to improve its pool of suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond avoiding consolidation, the Pentagon recommends steps to ensure resilience in the supply chain for five priority sectors: casting and forgings, missiles and munitions, energy storage and batteries, strategic and critical materials, and microelectronics. It also highlights DoD\u2019s efforts to gain access to intellectual property from suppliers as a way to boost competition.<\/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\/2022\/02\/11\/covid-drags-defense-industrial-base-down-to-failing-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\/198609781_4367731106605001_1356395630190890350_n.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\">COVID drags defense industrial base down to failing grade<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">NDIA found that amid the pandemic, supply chains and companies&#039; ability to surge production have deteriorated significantly.<\/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 Pentagon hasn\u2019t made public its concerns about the now-cancelled Lockheed-Aerojet deal, the new report details worries about increased vertical mergers in the aerospace and defense sector. They \u201ccan raise concerns when the vertically integrated firm has the ability and incentive to take anticompetitive actions that provide it an advantage over competitors,\u201d the report reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report notes the number of prime defense contractors has shrunk from 51 to 5 since the 1990s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon is promoting competition to the maximum extent possible because, the report says, \u201ca single source or a small number of sources for a defense need can pose mission risk and, particularly in cases where the existing dominant supplier or suppliers are influenced by an adversary nation, pose significant national security risks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report acknowledged there\u2019s no strong correlation between consolidation and increased pricing that\u2019s evident, but argued \u201cconcentration can reduce the availability of key supplies and equipment, diminish vendors\u2019 incentives for innovation and performance in government contracts, and lead to supply chain vulnerabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon should focus on creating new pathways for non-traditional suppliers if defense officials want to boost competition, said Byron Callan, a policy research expert at Capital Alpha Partners. An example is Tesla founder Elon Musk\u2019s push into the launch market, once dominated by Boeing and Lockheed, with Space X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOnce the DoD starts creating these lanes, and you see a couple of new entrants, it\u2019ll shake the market up, it\u2019s going to shake up the behavior of the large contractors,\u201d Callan said. \u201cTesla barges in, breaks down the doors and it\u2019s like, wow, you\u2019re getting lower costs, more frequent service, a lot of innovation. It\u2019s those kinds of examples that maybe they ought to be thinking about.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The report from DoD\u2019s acquisition and sustainment office, which says broadly that consolidation poses a national security risk, marks the strongest U.S. government objection to merger and acquisition activity since the defense secretary in 2015 discouraged deals among the largest prime 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