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: Additional variations during the above periods:

Chapters

NDIA has 29 chapters located throughout the United States.

Divisions

NDIA consists of subject-specific divisions that aim to promote defense and national security through access, influence, and education.

Committees and working groups

NDIA has 5 industrial committees and working groups that bring government and industry personnel together on important topics.

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).