Kentucky COMPETES
Collaborative opportunities to modernize practices, engagement, teams, and the economy for success
Sidebar
Kentucky COMPETES explores Department of Defense (DoD) relevant, innovative and futuristic changes leading to a design that advances the defensive industrial base (DIB) ecosystem to achieve modernization and economic diversification, allowing elevation of Kentucky’s manufacturing, aerospace and distribution and logistics sectors as nationally competitive industries.
Kentucky COMPETES is a Kentucky Commission on Military Affairs (KCMA) grant-funded project focused on examining ways to expand innovation of DIB businesses in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
This project creates an opportunity to understand workforce needs, policy recommendations, infrastructure priorities and emerging concepts and industries needed within the state. The Federal funding builds upon previous grant work activities to modernize and diversify its defense sector in alignment with the DoD Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation’s (OLDCC) Diversification and Modernization Program for Economic Adjustment Assistance for State Governments.
This study was prepared under contract with the Commonwealth of Kentucky, with financial support from the OLDCC and Department of Defense. The content reflects the views of Kentucky and does not necessarily reflect the views of OLDCC.
Kentucky COMPETES Goals
- Collaborative Outreach: Develop a comprehensive systems approach to identifying modernization and diversification within the defense industrial base (DIB) in Kentucky.
- Create an asset map and organization listing of relations and roles of the defense industrial base.
- Build an awareness campaign to engage and inform Kentucky DIB businesses.
- Industry Analysis: Implement an examination of Kentucky’s DIB that harnesses UofL’s unique academic environment to deliver expertly targeted, relevant and actionable findings.
- Create a futures analysis and roadmap for implementation that offers an examination by industry type for DIB businesses.
- Develop recommendations in a shareable report, outlining the findings from industry sectors examined.
- Workforce Pathways: Champion an equitable DIB community ecosystem that capitalizes on the military family and the diverse Kentucky workforce.
- Create workforce pathway alliances within manufacturing, aerospace and distribution and logistics industry sectors.
- Create an ecosystem plan: On the sustainability of the DIB in Kentucky, identifying future workforce demands.
Current Products
The Kentucky COMPETES Sustainability Plan outlines a strategic framework to modernize and diversify Kentucky's defense industrial base by analyzing its value chain and identifying key opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and investment. Through policy recommendations and ecosystem-wide engagement, the plan aims to strengthen Kentucky’s role in national defense while addressing systemic challenges and fostering long-term economic development.
The Kentucky COMPETES Implementation Plan outlines strategies to modernize and diversify Kentucky's defense industrial base (DIB) by addressing cybersecurity compliance, workforce development and industry collaboration. The plan prioritizes initiatives such as cybersecurity readiness, educational partnerships and veteran integration while identifying key challenges like the rural-urban divide, labor shortages and limited national engagement in defense sector decision making.
Kentucky COMPETES Implementation Plan
This White Paper examines the challenges and opportunities within Kentucky's defense industrial base (DIB), highlighting the need for increased collaboration, modernization and workforce development to maintain competitiveness in the national defense sector. The report, based on interviews with industry representatives, identifies key concerns such as cybersecurity compliance, labor shortages and limited institutional support while proposing solutions like enhanced training programs, policy incentives and expanded industry partnerships.
The KY COMPETES Project Asset Map provides a comprehensive overview of Kentucky’s defense industrial base (DIB), categorizing assets across physical, governmental, institutional and industry sectors to support strategic planning and economic growth. By mapping these resources, the project aims to enhance collaboration, attract investment and strengthen Kentucky’s position in the national defense landscape.
Kentucky COMPETES Project Asset Map and Organizational Listing
The KY COMPETES Futures Analysis provides a strategic assessment of Kentucky’s defense industrial base (DIB), identifying opportunities for modernization and diversification in manufacturing, aerospace and logistics. By mapping the ecosystem, expanding workforce development and investing in additive manufacturing, the report outlines pathways to strengthen Kentucky’s defense sector and economic resilience.
The KY COMPETES Executive Summary highlights key insights from interviews with defense contractors and industry partners in Kentucky, focusing on competition for Department of Defense (DoD) business, veteran employment, modernization challenges and workforce development. The report underscores the need for increased collaboration, infrastructure investment, and targeted workforce training to enhance Kentucky’s role in the national defense sector.
Kentucky COMPETES Executive Summary
The following analysis is based on a review of 16 industry interview summaries from interviews of Kentucky-based defense industry businesses. The comments include emphasis on key points made or absent that are relevant to health and environmental health policy.
Expert Analysis of Defense Industry Interviews
The Kentucky COMPETES grant has fostered partnerships across the state's Defense Industrial Base (DIB), revealing key insights on collaboration, policy impact, workforce readiness, technological adaptability, veteran hiring, and innovation. While businesses recognize strengths in adaptability and veteran recruitment, opportunities exist to enhance networking, streamline policies, and further solidify Kentucky’s defense sector as an innovation leader.
Kentucky DIB Qualitative Data Results
The report analyzes workforce needs and training programs in Kentucky’s defense industry through the lens of Industry 4.0, highlighting the growing importance of advanced technologies such as AI, automation and cybersecurity. It emphasizes the necessity of upskilling workers, fostering industry-education partnerships and strategically investing in modernization efforts to ensure Kentucky’s defense sector remains competitive in the evolving technological landscape.
The report examines the evolving logistics and supply chain landscape for Kentucky’s defense industrial base (DIB), emphasizing the adoption of disruptive technologies like AI, blockchain, and automation to enhance efficiency, security and resilience. It provides insights from industry interviews and offers strategic recommendations for public and private stakeholders to foster collaboration, workforce development and digital transformation in defense logistics operations.
A Futures Analysis and Planning for DIB Businesses in Kentucky
The report analyzes insights from Kentucky defense contractors, identifying key trends in workforce needs, modernization efforts and industry integration through advanced data modeling techniques. It highlights the importance of partnerships, technological advancements, and workforce development while addressing challenges such as compliance, procurement processes and regional competitiveness.
The report examines the economic impact of Kentucky’s (DIB) and its DoD contracts, highlighting the sector’s significant contributions to employment, payroll and tax revenue. With over 21,000 direct and indirect jobs supported and nearly $3.9 billion in statewide economic output, the DIB plays a crucial role in Kentucky’s economy through supply chain expansion, workforce growth and regional business stimulation.
The Economic Impact of DIBs and their DoD Contracts on Kentucky’s Economy
