Opinion America’s defense industrial base still wins wars—if we fund it

When the United States entered World War II, the nation’s factories and engineers converted peacetime capacity into the weapons that carried Allied forces to victory. That same industrial base later produced the rocket engines, stealth aircraft and precision systems that define modern warfare. Much of that critical work still happens in places like Huntsville, Alabama.

Today, the Integrated Battle Command System anchors that technological lineage. Known as IBCS, it is the Army’s program of record for integrated air and missile defense. IBCS connects disparate sensors and weapons systems into a single network so commanders can detect, track and engage threats—whether ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or drones—with speed and confidence. In an era of massed drone attacks and sophisticated aerial threats, seamless integration is no longer optional.

The system has proven itself in testing and is operational with U.S. forces in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, as well as with Poland. Yet it remains only partially fielded where American troops and partners face immediate aerial threats. Closing that gap requires sustained investment.

That investment does not stop at the Pentagon; it flows through an ecosystem of major prime contractors and specialized small businesses that sustain the nation’s defense industrial capacity. At enVention, a Huntsville firm with a few dozen engineers, our work centers on air and missile defense. Software leads and architects who spent years building the Patriot Tactical Command System and Battery Command Post founded the company in 2010. Our team brings decades of direct experience developing the software that allows operators to plan and control critical defense systems on the battlefield.

From the start, we have worked directly with warfighters to turn real tactical experience into software that performs under pressure. That partnership has shaped everything from decision-support tools to interoperability between sensors and weapons systems. Those same habits of close collaboration and deep system knowledge now carry over to IBCS, where we develop software and interoperability tools that turn battlefield data into information commanders can use to make decisions.

In Alabama, the broader IBCS supply chain supports nearly 3,500 jobs and roughly $1 billion in economic activity across software, systems engineering and advanced manufacturing. We have expanded into a larger facility and are hiring experienced engineers because the program continues to receive support and because the progression from Patriot to IBCS demands expertise informed by warfighters’ experience.

None of this happens automatically. Congress determines the resources available for programs like IBCS. When lawmakers fund integrated air and missile defense modernization, they equip soldiers with superior tools while sustaining skilled jobs in communities across the country. The trade-off often framed in budget debates is false: The same dollars strengthen deterrence abroad and support high-value work at home.

Our elected officials have shown consistent support for military readiness, but that support must keep pace with the threat. We ask Congress to commit the required funding in the current budget cycle to accelerate IBCS fielding without delay. Every month of delayed deployment leaves frontline units exposed to evolving massed drone salvos and missile threats without fully integrated protection. America’s soldiers have never lacked courage; lawmakers must ensure they do not lack the fully fielded, networked defenses required to see first, act fast and dominate the modern battlefield.