The National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) is a trade association for the United States government and defense industrial base. It is an 501(c)(3) educational organization. Its headquarters are in Arlington, Virginia. NDIA was established in 1919 as a result of the inability of the defense industry to scale up the war effort during World War I.
Founding In 1917, Brigadier General Benedict Crowell was called to active duty and served on the General Munitions Board. As a board member, he established a relationship with the steel industry and was almost immediately appointed Assistant Secretary of War and Director of Munitions. As Director of Munitions, Crowell was a significant catalyst in improving the country's capability to produce arms and ammunition. However, he recognized the nation's need for an association that fostered cooperation between civilian industry and government in support of industrial preparedness. He founded the Army Ordnance Association (AOA) in 1919 and served as president for its first 25 years. Over the ensuing decades, AOA became the American Defense Preparedness Association (ADPA), which then merged with the 1944 National Security Industrial Association (NSIA) in 1997, creating NDIA.
Advocacy
Opposition to military right-to-repair legislation In July 2024, NDIA signed a letter to members of both the House Committee on Armed Services and the Senate Committee on Armed Services opposing Section 828 of S. 4628, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025, entitled "Requirement for Contractors to Provide Reasonable Access to Repair Materials". The proposed Section 828 raised concerns for NDIA that include "no carve-outs or limitations to protect sensitive trade secret information" and impacts on "the economics of a dealer distribution model by effectively eliminating dealer margins ... [impacting] ... small and medium-sized businesses", amongst other issues.
Publications NDIA currently publishes National Defense, Weekly Policy Digest, Weekly Defense Insider, and Monthly Defense Watch.
National Defense magazine National Defense has been published under a series of different titles since 1940: 2005–Present - National Defense 1947–1954 - The Common Defense 1947–1970 - Ordnance 1945–1947 - Logistics 1920–1945 - Army Ordnance Additional variations during the above periods: 1946 - Industrial Preparedness Bulletin 1943–1945 - Army Ordnance Report 1940–1946 - Army Ordnance Bulletin
Chapters
NDIA has 29 chapters located throughout the United States.
NDIA ChaptersAberdeen Proving GroundCentral FloridaCentral New JerseyDelaware Valley First CoastGeorgia Great Lakes Great Rivers Greater Hampton Roads Greater Indiana Greater Los Angeles Greater New York-Connecticut Greater Tampa Bay Gulf Coast Iowa-Illinois Lone StarMichiganNew EnglandNorth Carolina Pacific Northwest Picatinny Red River Regional Rocky MountainSan DiegoSouthern NevadaSouthwest Tennessee ValleyWashington, DC Wright Brothers Regional
Divisions NDIA consists of subject-specific divisions that aim to promote defense and national security through access, influence, and education.
NDIA Divisions Agile Delivery for Agencies, Programs, and Teams (ADAPT) Armaments Bomb & Warhead Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Defense Combat Survivability Cyber-Augmented Operations (CAO) Cybersecurity Electronics Expeditionary Warfare Health Affairs Human Systems Integrated Program Management International Logistics Management Manufacturing Missile Defense Munitions Technology Procurement Robotics Science and Engineering Today Security and Counterintelligence Small Business Space Special Operations/Low-Intensity Conflict Strike, Land Attack, and Air Defense (SLAAD) Systems Engineering Tactical Wheeled Vehicles Technical Information Test & Evaluation Undersea Warfare
Committees and working groups NDIA has 5 industrial committees and working groups that bring government and industry personnel together on important topics.
NDIA Industrial Committees and Working Groups Chemical Biological Defense Acquisition Initiatives Forum Industrial Committee of Ammunition Producers Industrial Committee on Operational Test and Evaluation Cybersecurity for Advanced Manufacturing Working Group Trusted Microelectrics Joint Working Group
Affiliate associations
NDIA affiliates include the Association for Enterprise Information (AFEI), the Emerging Technologies Institute (ETI), the National Training & Simulation Association (NTSA), the Precision Strike Association (PSA), and Women in Defense (WID).
See also Military–industrial complex National defense Warfighter
References
External links