COVID-19 and the Defense Industrial Base:
DOD Response and Legislative
Considerations
Updated March 30, 2020
The Department of Defense (DOD) relies on a defense industrial base (DIB) for the products and services
that enable DOD’s warfighting capabilities. The DIB includes private-sector commercial companies
ranging in size from small businesses to some of the world's largest enterprises—all of which have been
impacted by the economic pressures associated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
pandemic. For additional related resources, see the CRS COVID-19 homepage.
Critical Infrastructure and the DIB
The DIB is considered essential to U.S. national security, and to be part of U.S. critical infrastructure
(CI). On March 16, the Administration issued its Coronavirus Guidance for America, which states in part
that:
“If you work in a [CI] industry … you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work
schedule. You and your employers should follow [Center for Disease Control] guidance to protect
your health at work.”
Responding to the President’s guidelines, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a
memorandum on March 19 to provide context for state and local officials looking to carry out the
“Identification of Essential CI Workers during COVID-19 Response.” While not binding in nature, the
DHS memorandum identifies segments of the DIB that include “Essential Critical Infrastructure”
workers, which are:
“Workers who support the essential services required to meet national security
commitments … These individuals, include but are not limited to, aerospace; mechanical
and software engineers, manufacturing/production workers; IT support; security staff;
security personnel; intelligence support, aircraft and weapon system mechanics and
maintainers;” and
