Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group

Strengthening our understanding of the relationship between the Department of Defense and its industrial base

DIIG provides timely, in-depth analysis on the critical issues at the cross-section of the Department of Defense and its industrial base. With a focus on defense acquisition trends, technological innovation, security cooperation, and ongoing reform efforts, DIIG monitors important developments in the global defense industry. DIIG’s products consist of major research projects, published reports, commentaries, interviews, and events.

About the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group

Learn more about the CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group and the experts and staff that contribute to our analysis.

Cynthia Cook
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Photo: PO2 Tamara Vaughn/U.S. Navy via DVIDS

Photo: PO2 Tamara Vaughn/U.S. Navy via DVIDS

Identifying Pathways for U.S. Shipbuilding Cooperation with Northeast Asian Allies

U.S. naval shipbuilding faces production and capacity constraints that undermine fleet readiness. Closer cooperation with allies like Japan and South Korea on ship construction and repair could help counter China’s maritime threat and bolster U.S. industrial resilience.

Brief by Henry H. Carroll and Cynthia R. Cook — May 15, 2025

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Executive Summary: 2021 CSIS-DAPA Conference

The 2021 CSIS-DAPA conference explored how the United States and the Republic of Korea could strengthen their alliance via a third generation of cooperation. Key topics were information sharing, domestic industry promotion, new technology, and the larger strategic context.

Report by Gregory Sanders — December 5, 2022

Inflating the Risk? Contracting in the Face of Inflation

What will heightened inflation mean for the defense-industrial base? CSIS experts analyze how the Department of Defense responded to the last major bout of inflation and the relative exposure of different categories of vendors with respect to firm-fixed price contracts.

Critical Questions by Gregory Sanders and Alexander Holderness — December 1, 2022

Keeping the U.S. Military Engine Edge: Budget and Contract Trends

The United States leads the world in military aircraft engine development. However, the Department of Defense must make significant decisions moving forward to retain this advantage in an era of renewed competition.

Brief by Gregory Sanders and Nicholas Velazquez — October 31, 2022

Pathways to Implementing Comprehensive and Collaborative JADC2

This CSIS brief identifies and examines strategic level challenges in pursuing enhanced command and control infrastructure and makes recommendations to help the U.S. military as it operates as a joint force and deploys with allies and partners.

Report by Cynthia R. Cook, Rose Butchart, Gregory Sanders, and Alexander Holderness — September 27, 2022

Trends in Department of Defense Other Transaction Authority Usage

This report examines trends in Other Transaction Authority (OTA) usage across the DoD to provide insights into how the DoD is using OTAs to pursue innovation, how DoD spending under an OTA is organized, and to whom the majority of OTA obligations go.

Report by Gregory Sanders and Rhys McCormick — May 25, 2022

Destruction, Subversion, and the Long War

As the war in Ukraine continues, CSIS's Cynthia Cook argues that both sides have increasingly moved to cost-imposing strategies, and the war will end when one side decides that its costs are too great to bear.

Commentary by Cynthia R. Cook — May 3, 2022