[1] As a concept, the DIB is closely related to the notion of the military-industrial complex, and is often discussed as a foundational element of national power.
The U.S. defense industrial base has attracted particular attention from policymakers, analysts, academics, and other commentators.
Although the country has in some sense possessed a DIB since the Revolutionary War, the modern industrial base--in the form of a large, permanent network of defense-oriented industrial facilities, primarily owned and operated by private firms and maintained during peacetime--dates from the early Cold War.
[2][1] Since the early 2010s--and especially following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine--the U.S. government has increased the resourcing of the DIB, and production output for the sector as a whole appears to have risen correspondingly.
[1][3] Whether the DIB is appropriately sized, structured, and tasked has been the subject of considerable debate within the United States.