Technology Industrial Base Assessments (TIBA)

Director: Bethany Harrington

TIBA supports the creation and maintenance of DoD technology and industrial base strategies and investments by providing:

    • Insights into the strengths, vulnerabilities, and capacity of the emerging technologies supply chain, enabling organizations to make more informed decisions
    • Analysis of how effective and cost-efficient investment strategies would accelerate the innovation cycle and rapidly field emerging technology, enhance readiness, lethality, and operational resilience, and increase buying power
    • Proactive approaches for mitigating risks to the emerging tech industrial base and recommendations for leveraging opportunities to advance technology development, testing, and manufacturing

Mission

Enhance the effectiveness of DoD strategies and investments to meet critical national security requirements for new and emerging technologies that grow the capability and capacity of the innovation and industrial bases

  • Assessment reports provide recommendations for strategies and investments
    • Assessments can cover a variety of topics related to S&T planning:
      • Evaluating the ability of DoD’s internal and external advanced manufacturing industrial bases to provide the resources necessary to develop, test, field, and sustain systems
      • Identifying specific risks and opportunities to apply technology solutions that enhance the advanced manufacturing industrial base and associated supply chains
      • Conducting industry outreach and dialogue to strengthen the technology industrial base
    • Assessments are created with inputs as necessary from stakeholders and partners, including Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Military Services, federally funded research and development centers, industry, and academia
  • Promotion and protection efforts include:
    • Development of Technology Area Protection Plans
      • Supports relevant National Defense Science and Technology Strategy by providing high-level guidance on what to conceal or reveal for USD(R&E) technologies
      • Industrial Base Appendices that provide an overview of the critical companies and major activities impacting the industrial base for specific technologies
    • Delivery of targeted analysis and guidance to Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition & Sustainment) related to:
      • Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
      • Mergers and acquisitions
      • Export control cases
    • Strategic direction:
      • Informing statute, policy, investment opportunities, and guidance documents through technical assessments and inter-agency collaborations
      • Working group participation and leadership (e.g., Space Industrial Base Working Group