2.1 Objective

The Program Manager (PM) has the responsibility for and authority to accomplish program objectives for development, production, and sustainment to meet the user's operational needs. These activities rely heavily on the capabilities and capacity of our defense industrial base.  PMs need to specifically assess the capabilities of that industrial base in order to understand if the base can support their program.

The Defense Production Act of 1950 was enacted to ensure that an industrial capability was there to support our national objectives.  Seven (7) titles were enacted as a part of the Defense Production Act.  Three of these titles have been reauthorized and were active at the time of this update to the Guide.  Those three are:

• Title I Priorities and Allocations (is the authority to demand priority for defense-related products);
• Title III Expansion of Productive Capacity and Supply (is the authority to provide incentives to develop, modernize, and expand defense productive capacity); and
• Title VII General Provisions (support a number of programs and activities).

The material which follows describes the structure and problems of the industrial base and the avenues available to the PM to achieve the necessary and available support from that base. At the end of this chapter you should be able to:

• Describe industrial base related laws, policies and guidance;
• Identify current industrial base concerns;
• Identify industrial base considerations within the acquisition framework;
• Describe the roles and responsibilities of the Industrial Analysis Center;
• Describe industrial base planning and investments activities; and
• Describe the role of the Defense Priorities System and Defense Materials System. 

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