INTERVIEW WITH LT. GEN. William Mark Faulkner USMC (RET.) President of the Institute for Defense and Business (IDB)
by BENJAMIN TYREE
Q On rebuilding the infrastructure, and given an all-out effort, what would be a realistic timetable for achiev- ing what we really need in order to maintain our position in the world? A. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Doing it right and mak- ing it last will likely take a decade. Some gains might be made within five to seven years but achieving a resilient and adaptable industrial base takes longer. It also requires a long-term, bipartisan vision—something not tied to a single party or administration. Everyone must share a sense of urgency and commitment, regardless of politi- cal background. This kind of effort has to outlast election cycles and leadership changes. Q How about the workforce, though? There’s a people problem, the need to build up our cadre of engineer- ing and technical talent. What kind of approach or joint government-industry program would you like to see to ac- complish that? A. That’s a great point, and it should be a national security priority. Looking back, we probably would have approached
Lt. Gen. Faulkner was interviewed on May 21, 2025, by Defense Acquisition managing editor Benjamin Tyree. Q The Government Accountability Office recently pub- lished a report highlighting concerns with the Defense Industrial Base [DIB] , and President Trump has issued an executive order on modernizing defense acquisitions and spurring innovation in the DIB. What are your insights on actions that government and industry can take—for exam- ple, incentives and investment to expand and modernize infrastructure for manufacturing and repair? A. There’s no single fix—no one solution that has proven sustainable over time. Something may work in the short term, but long-term progress requires consistent invest- ment. It’s going to take both sustained funding and a more modern acquisition approach. I’d also say that collabora- tion between government and industry remains too incon- sistent. Organizations like NDIA [the National Defense Industrial Association] help bring those sides together, but we need deeper, more continuous engagement. Ultimately, it comes down to consistent investment and sustained col- laboration.
6 | DEFENSE ACQUISITION | July-August 2025
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