Defense industrial base takes center stage during Cadenazzi’s DTA visit
Photo By Ann Zaniewski |
Matthew Ludkey (far left) and Katie Sebeck talk with Michael Cadenazzi, assistant......read moreread more
Photo By Ann Zaniewski | Matthew Ludkey (far left) and Katie Sebeck talk with Michael Cadenazzi, assistant secretary of war for Industrial Base Policy, and TACOM Commanding General Brig. Gen. Beth A. Behn on May 11, 2026, at DEVCOM GVSC. (Christopher Estrada/U.S. Army photo) see less
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Defense industrial base takes center stage during Cadenazzi’s DTA visit
By ANN ZANIEWSKI
TACOM Public Affairs
DETROIT ARSENAL, Mich. – What will future resilience look like?
That question was in the spotlight during Michael Cadenazzi’s May 11 visit to the Detroit Arsenal, where the assistant secretary of war for Industrial Base Policy reviewed key initiatives, talked supply chain management, toured laboratories and encouraged innovation.
Cadenazzi said under U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, the defense industrial base is at the center of national strategy in a way that it hasn’t been in years – creating the perfect environment for bold, outside-the-box thinking. He urged leaders to put forward their “biggest, most aggressive” ideas.
“Why are we doing the things we are doing? How can we look at them differently?” he asked.
Cadenazzi made the remarks during a meeting with Brig. Gen. Beth A. Behn, commanding general of U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, and other leaders from across the Detroit Arsenal. Their wide-ranging conversation centered largely on the Department of War’s push to revitalize the defense industrial base and how TACOM and its partners align with that effort.
Supply chain vulnerabilities and opportunities were a key focus of the discussions. Cadenazzi encouraged the leaders to take a strategic and tactical approach to tackling challenges, ask more of their industry partners and embrace acquisition risk.
“I think we have this challenge of thinking through what resilience looks like in the future,” he said.
The undersecretary explained how Industrial Base Policy’s three offices – Industrial Base Resilience, Industrial Base Growth and Global Investment & Economic Security – work with domestic and international partners to forge a robust, resilient industrial base.
The meeting also covered acquisition reform, modernization, foreign military sales, rare earth minerals and other topics.
Behn highlighted DTA as the Army’s premier ground systems center of excellence, describing it as a collaborative, unified ecosystem in which lifecycle management, research and development and acquisition intersect to drive innovation. That power is amplified, she said, by its strategic location in southeast Michigan, hub of the automotive industry.
Behn also provided an overview of how TACOM generates and sustains readiness in support of the warfighter. She emphasized key initiatives, including Organic Industrial Base optimization.
Cadenazzi’s visit included a tour and overview of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center’s labs and capabilities, which support the entire lifecycle of Army ground vehicles. Discussions there covered GVSC’s core competencies in survivability, power and mobility, advanced manufacturing and robotics.
