Defense industrial policy debated.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.
• Position: Washington Pulse - Brief Article

Army leaders and defense industry officials will convene in Washington, D.C., this month to discuss the future of "industrial preparedness," said Army Assistant Secretary Claude M. Bolton Jr.

A key topic will be the Army's past failures in projecting equipment demand. Bolton, who is the Army's top acquisition executive, said that the service needs to do a better job forecasting long-term needs, so contractors can anticipate and prepare for sudden surges in production.

The goal is to prevent what happened two years ago, when the Army was caught short of body armor and steel-plated Humvees to supply soldiers in Iraq. Once the shortage was identified, it took about a year for depots and contractors to...