A new Security Nexus paper, “The Strategic Role of the Defense Industrial Base in Advancing U.S. Lethality, Soft Power, and Indo-Pacific Security,” by Deon Canyon, Associate Dean of Academics and Professor, and Carleton Cramer, Captain (Ret.), U.S. Navy, Dean of Academics for the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, examines how the United States Defense Industrial Base (DIB) serves as both a military and strategic asset, enhancing deterrence, innovation, and regional partnerships. It highlights the DIB’s role in strengthening alliances, supporting economic resilience, and integrating emerging defense technologies in response to increasing geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific.

Key themes include:

  • The DIB’s role in sustaining deterrence against coercive regional actors.
  • Soft power initiatives, including technology sharing and workforce development.
  • Strategic education efforts at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies that equip leaders with insights on security challenges.
  • The importance of industrial resilience in countering supply chain vulnerabilities and foreign influence.

As competition in the Indo-Pacific intensifies, the authors argue that a robust and adaptive DIB is critical to maintaining U.S. influence and strengthening security cooperation with allies.