Top U.S. Defense Contractors in 2014

Washington Technology magazine just published its 2014 ranking list for the top 100 defense contractors based on the value of contract dollars*. It should come as no surprise that Lockheed Martin leads the pack ($10.4B) by a factor of nearly two over the runner-up Northrop Grumman ($5.87B). My Top 10 list below has the companies listed by value of defense contracts, whereas the original list ranked by total dollar value inclusive of both defense and non-defense contracts. Two companies in the list, Leidos (global security) and Fluor (global construction), are unfamiliar to me. The other eight design and manufacture a mixture of electronic, mechanical, and software products for military and aerospace customers. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports that defense spending represented 18% of the total 2013 budget (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Welfare consumes 59%). Defense contracting has always been a roller coaster ride, and the companies' employees either get used to the torture or bail to another segment of industry. I spent the first decade after separating from the USAF working for defense companies and got tired of not just the rigors of complying with government regulations, but as an engineer, being required to work massive amounts of unpaid overtime. Some people thrive on it, and the rest of us are grateful for their tenacity.

*  The numbers can be obtained by anyone based on open government reports, but WT already did the hard work, so they deserve a hat tip.

Posted  July 16, 2014