Aerospace and defense industry pioneers are best known for pushing the boundaries of math and science to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges — and changing our world.
We’re about to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of their most significant accomplishments — the Apollo moon landing — a pivotal moment in America’s space race that was the culmination of the burgeoning A&D industry’s technological prowess.
But 50 years later, acquiring the materials and resources that will make the next landing and other future breakthroughs possible has become almost as challenging.
Today, the A&D industry’s $400 billion-plus supply chain is being tested on multiple fronts — from uncertain federal budgets and global political divides to third-party cyberthreats.
Materials and resources acquired through supply chain partners account for half of the A&D industry’s annual sales, and two-thirds of the industry’s exports. These same suppliers make up more than one-third of the industry’s 2.4 million workers — an extremely valuable segment of America’s workforce.
Materials sourcing has become a major element of the nation’s industrial…