When you think of defense contractors, what do you envision? Is it a warlord purchasing arms from a man in a suit using very questionable funds to obtain more firearms? Maybe it’s the iconic fictional CEO Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, developing new theoretic weapons that can be used to save the day. Whatever you think, you should know that a defense contractor works on much more than just building arms for governments. Of course, creating weapons of all sorts is the bread and butter, but there is much more going on. Related read: 15 of the Top Work-From-Home Jobs in 2022 for Veterans & Spouses

What Is a Defense Contractor?

Defense contractors are people and companies that work alongside the government to provide arms and other necessary equipment for the defense of a country. It is a quite lucrative industry and important for keeping our country safe. If you take a look at the government's budget basics, you'll see that the United States alone spent well over $700 million on national defense in 2020. It stands to reason that the U.S. is also home to some of the biggest defense contractors in the world, including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies. These companies are renowned for creating innovative solutions for impressive weapons, including guided missiles, drones, aircraft, satellites, etc. If there is a branch of the military in need of the equipment, there is a defense contractor ready to provide a solution.

The Largest Defense Contractors Make More Than Just Weapons

Missiles and bombs and anything else that goes boom are mainstays in the defense arena, we get it, but there are plenty of other things that are necessary and provided by defense contractors. Here are some of the interesting areas that top defense contractors are working on and improving:

• 5G and communications are important in the field of battle, and having a nation that is connected is good for everyone. While the major wireless players such as Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and DISH Wireless will be handling most of the heavy lifting, 5G specifically is built around the idea of collaborative efforts. You can bet that the defense contractors who make weapons are helping keep your devices connected, as well.
• Energy storage helps preserve important energy from renewable sources to be used when necessary. Companies such as Lockheed Martin are helping lead this charge through innovative products.
• Production is how we get products from being an idea into the market. Innovative advances in production help engineers across a multitude of industries provide quicker, better products for all.
• Cybersecurity is of vital importance to everyone living in modern America. We have sensitive data, vulnerable infrastructure, and important functions we take for granted that all need monitoring and protection.

Government military contractors work with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) on a variety of military-related projects, but their work can help keep infrastructures and operations running better through innovative solutions.

How Much Do Government Defense Contractors Make?

A defense contractor's salary can range from below $20,000 per year and balloon to over half a million. The median salary, however, is around $93,000 per year. Defense contractor jobs can range from anything from creating safeguards for cyberattacks to engineering drones to be used in warfare. If you are interested in how to become a defense contractor, you can take up a path within technology, communications, aerospace, or engineering and apply on any major job posting website to help keep Americans safer today and tomorrow.

U.S. Defense Contractors Work Internationally

For a number of reasons, the work of defense contractors is highly proprietary and kept under safeguard to keep it from getting into the hands of competitors as well as the wrong hands. But there are still opportunities for U.S. defense contractors that provide solutions for our service members to work outside of the United States. There are a couple of reasons for this, including the most obvious: money. But defense contractors can help Americans stay safe while also helping advance the military forces of our allies. America may feel like it is everywhere at once, but the truth is, we collaborate with many different foreign government agencies and militaries to keep people across the globe safer. Beyond war, the work that is done by defense contractors helps us all enjoy advancements in different areas that are critical to a modern lifestyle. The way we communicate and travel would not be possible without the hard work of these entities. They may get a bad wrap at times, but they play an important part in keeping the Internet secure and providing proper communication and protection to those risking their lives to serve America and its allies. More like this:The Best Government Jobs for Veterans After the Military

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