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Small Business News

Small Business News

News | March 22, 2024

Why America Needs The Defense Industrial Base

By Suzanne Zurn Office of Small Business Programs

Arlington, VA  –  

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks made the case at the Reagan Institute's National Security Innovation Base Summit on Wednesday that we all have a responsibility to foster a broad national security innovation base.

"And I’m not only talking about the prime contractors that so often serve as our large-system integrators. I’m also talking about thousands of sub-tier suppliers, many of them small businesses, in communities all over America," Hicks said.

DoD has spent billions on the industrial base and sought to expand production. The Department has also spent billions in research and development to ensure service members never go into a fair fight, Hicks said.

"All of these investments, and more, have been aligned with the needs of our National Defense Strategy and the National Defense Industrial Strategy that builds upon it," she explained.

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Mentor-Protégé Program and APEX Accelerators Top Discussion Topics at Winter TRIAD Meeting

Leaders from the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) participated in the Winter TRIAD Meeting, a biannual gathering to promote partnerships between government, large business prime contractors and APEX Accelerators, to facilitate compliance and small business utilization.

Mr. Farooq Mitha, OSBP Director, emphasized the crucial role of small businesses in fortifying our supply chains, revitalizing domestic manufacturing, and nurturing the growth of new entrants to the Defense Industrial Base.

Key updates from Mr. Mitha's presentation:

🚀 Transition of the Mentor-Protégé Program: The Mentor-Protégé Program (MPP) has officially transitioned from a pilot to a permanent program. In the past five years, DoD’s MPP has successfully helped more than 190 small businesses fill unique niches and become part of the military’s supply chain.

🤝 Protégé Pilot Incentive Program: To further support our proteges, we implemented the Protégé Pilot Incentive Program (PPI) to bridge gaps and facilitate the seamless integration of products and services with DoD programs and systems.

🏭 Partnership with Manufacturing Innovation Institutes: We are collaborating with the Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) to promote small businesses in advanced manufacturing. Together, we're creating opportunities for small businesses to thrive in this dynamic industry.

Additionally, Mr. Khalil Mack, Director of APEX Accelerators, provided updates on the work being done by the 97 Accelerators. These Accelerators are actively promoting subcontracting opportunities for small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs), Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVOSBs), Women-Owned Small Businesses (WOSBs), and other underrepresented small businesses.

Our office is committed to collaboration and fostering a thriving Defense Industrial Base. Events like the Winter TRIAD Meeting are important to breaking down barriers and ensuring that industry, government, and small businesses are working together to advance these shared goals.

DoD Small Business News

OSBP and NIST Partner for Small Businesses

The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense on small business matters, and  U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program (MEP) signed a memorandum of agreement on May 02, 2021 to collaborate on strengthening the national security of the small business industrial base.

The new partnership links two DOD organizations with a common mission to assist small businesses and  to achieve shared objectives:

  • Provide training and technical support to small-and-medium U.S. manufacturers engaged or planning to engage with the defense sector.
  • Promote and co-sponsor joint training events beneficial to national security, with an emphasis on cybersecurity for defense manufacturing.
  • Establish direct and consistent relationships at multiple organizational levels within both Parties to document and share complementary assistance best practices.  
  • Develop clear objectives, benchmarks and goals to measure success, added value, and synergy of collaborations between NIST MEP and OUSD(A&S) OSBP.

The OSBP and NIST partnership enables more DOD collaboration and support of small and medium manufacturers (SMMs). They will Collaborate to support the ongoing development and security of the Defense and Industrial Base.

This partnership will combine OSBP’s expertise in leveraging small businesses to close capability gaps for our armed forces with the MEP National Network.  The MEP operational base provides an opportunity for OUSD(A&S) OSBP to serve as a resource for the MEP Program of MEP Centers engages defense sector and defense-relevant manufacturing clients to promote and provide technologies, prototypes and products for National Security missions.