Hot Jobs for US
By Judy Collins | Tuesday June 24, 2025
We all treasure and want peace but given the many ongoing areas of conflict in the world and emerging threats to our security, there is likely to be a significant increase in employees that supply our national defense. We will see an increase in jobs across multiple sectors including manufacturing, engineering, technology, supply chain, and cybersecurity. According to Jobs With DOD1, “The Department of Defense’s fiscal year 2025 budget request stands at an historic $849.80 billion …” with the possibility of increasing to over $1 trillion if the present administration’s FY 2026 budget proposal is approved. Given that the FY 2026 Budget is approved, about $470 billion will be allocated for acquisition of military equipment and systems. This article will look at the multitude of jobs that support the growing need to secure our nation.
Citing Jobs with DOD, defense manufacturing is facing an unprecedented surge, with the U.S. manufacturing industry potentially needing 3.8. million jobs between 2025 and 2033. In the near-term, 2025-26, procurement in missiles, munitions, naval ships, submarines, drones, air defense systems, hypersonics, and AI/cyber systems will increase significantly. Job roles include statisticians, data scientists, engineers, and logisticians. An especially hot job is that of an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) engineer responsible for designing, testing, and implementing digital circuits for use in today’s military equipment. The skill set needed for these jobs includes a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field. The average salary for this position is $146,000 per year!
Rebuilding the U.S. Navy and Merchant Marine fleet through shipbuilding initiatives is also in the works. This could generate thousands of defense jobs while strengthening supply chains weakened by many years of neglect. Shipyards are to be renewed and expanded and improvements made to drydocks, repair facilities, and construction capabilities. “As of April 9, 2025, the present administration issued an executive order on Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance.”2 Skilled personnel needed include Naval architects, engineers, designers, program and project managers, administrators, as well as skilled trades and craft labor.
The companies listed below are major defense contractors expected to provide the systems, equipment, and services needed by the DOD and which will be sourcing the needed talent:
Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, MD). This firm builds the F-35 jet and is likely to be included in the proposed “Golden Dome” system of missile defense.
Northrop Grumman (Falls Church, VA). NG produces stealth bombers and missile defense systems.
Raytheon (Arlington, VA). This firm is a leader in missile defense and radar systems and likely to be a key player in the “Golden Dome.”
Boeing (Arlington, VA). Boeing is a major supplier of new aircraft and provides upgrade services to the air force.
L3Harris (Melbourne, FL). L3Harris provides services for missile defense and the “Golden Dome.”
BAE Systems (Falls Church, VA). BAE is a key supplier of a variety of military equipment.
Huntington Ingalls Industries (Newport News, VA). This firm is a major builder of naval vessels.
Recruiters can benefit by conducting research to identify candidates who can potentially fill some of the slots which may open up. Establish contact with the firms involved in the work and try to build your inventory of applicable candidates so you can offer your services when needed.
To learn more about the companies providing services to the DOD, join an association that has direct ties to the defense industry. An example is The National Defense Industrial Association. NDIA has 1,720 corporate and 67,000 individual members and has Affiliates, Chapters and Divisions. ADC, Association of Defense Communities is a 300 plus member organization that supports America’s military families. NAM, National Association of Manufacturers, is another good organization to join. A majority of their members are small to mid-sized manufacturers that will be bidding on national defense projects.
I hope this article increases the recruiter’s awareness of these potential opportunities and assists with making successful placements. Be ready to offer your services to companies that are supporting the defense industry and organizations that can make the right introductions to potential clients.
If you found this article helpful and interesting and would like to discuss any of these ideas, please feel free to give me a call or contact me at judy@jcsrllc.com, or visit my new website at https://www.jcsrllc.com for more information.
1 Jobs with DOD. Defense Industry News/Insights. 2025.
2 M. Funaiole, B. Hart, and A. Powers-Riggs.” Unpacking the White House’s Executive Order on Restoring the U.S. Shipbuilding Industry,” CSIS, April 10, 2025.
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