High-Skilled Immigration

Strengthening the National Security Innovation Base Requires International STEM Talent

Download the report here.

The National Defense Industrial Association Emerging Technologies Institute (NDIA ETI) collaborated with the Institute for Progress (IFP) to analyze the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce in the Department of Defense (DoD) and defense industrial base (DIB), with a particular focus on evaluating the utility of high-skilled immigration in defense. Interviews with personnel from DoD and the DIB paint a concerning picture: Shortages of STEM talent have hindered the development of critical and emerging technologies.
 
Interview testimonies, supported by statistics on the STEM workforce in both DoD-supported and DoD-relevant research and development (R&D), highlights the need for the U.S. government to proactively recruit and retain international talent as part of its strategy to ensure that talent bottlenecks do not endanger U.S. technological leadership.
 
The report offers nine recommendations intended to alleviate STEM workforce challenges by better leveraging U.S.-based foreign-born talent.