In order to address the problem of the deficit in domestic manufacturing and engineering talent, the government recently awarded its first nine prototyping projects, valued at nearly $27 million, the Department of Defense announced in a press release on Monday.
The awards will be given as part of a new "National Imperative for Industrial Skills" initiative, or "Skills Imperative," the release said.
"The awards are an initial step in reigniting US industrial modernization and to restoring the nation as the world’s high-tech leader. ... These initial awards will build manufacturing prestige across the nation, with awards in Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire," the release added.
The Skills Imperative will seek to organize a nationwide focus to provide needed workers for the industrial base, enabling the United States to build its next generation of combat ships, submarines, aircraft, ground vehicles, missiles, and other platforms and weapon systems, according to the release.