Our next Power Breakfast explores the new National Defense Industrial Strategy

Part of the power of the new National Defense Industrial Strategy is that for the first time, the Defense Department has gathered so many of the challenges facing the market today in one place.

The strategy also is a blueprint the Defense Department has given itself to foster a healthy and sustainable industrial base.

When the strategy was released, I started conversations across the industry for a still-incomplete story about the strategy and its impact.

One reason I haven’t written the story yet is that our Feb. 16 Power Breakfast keynote speaker is one of the authors of the strategy -- Danielle Miller, acting deputy assistant secretary for industrial base resilience.

Miller helped lead the team that wrote it and they are working on an implementation plan, which is slated for release in March.

She and I will sit down for a fireside chat to talk about the plan, how it came to be and next steps. There also will be an opportunity for audience questions.

From the people I’ve talked to and the reading I’ve done, this strategy has the potential to be a significant force in shaping how the Defense Department works with the industrial base for years to come.

The strategy puts a big emphasis on lowering the barriers to entry and getting more non-traditional contractors involved in the market. DOD is also seeking to heighten its focus on supply chains that are still recovering from the havoc wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic.

You may not walk away from this Power Breakfast with a list of new opportunities from a specific agency because our focus will be more strategic than tactical. But you will get a front row seat to hear about a strategy that’s just getting started and will influence the market for years to come.

That strategy and its priorities are basically a roadmap for how to shape many of those future opportunities with DOD agencies.

In addition to Miller, we’ll have a panel from industry executives who will discuss what they see in the strategy and its impact on the market.

I’ll also sit down with David Hutchins, a senior analyst from our sibling organization Forecast International, which conducts market research in the defense and aerospace markets. He and his team have done a deep dive into strategy, so we’ll talk about their findings.

The event is Feb. 16 at the Carahsoft Conference Center in Reston. Breakfast and networking starts at 8 a.m. and we’ll start the program at around 8:30.

Given that this strategy will influence defense industrial policy for years to come, you don’t want to miss it.