We’ve all heard the phrase “the graying of the workforce,” especially when it refers to the engineering and defense industries. It’s a fact that the average age for electrical and electronics engineers – many of whom are engaged in the defense industry – is older compared to the median age of other American workers. The median age of employed electrical and electronics engineers in 2019 was 44 years old, according to the most recent information from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

GREENSBORO, N.C. Radio-frequency (RF) semiconductor maker Qorvo has won a contract from the U.S. government -- worth as much as $75 million -- to create a state-of-the-art heterogeneous integrated packaging (SHIP) RF production and prototyping center.

ARLINGTON, Va. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has issued a report called "2020 Department of Defense Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Strategy," which is basically a road map for the U.S. military to maintain freedom of action in the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) at the time, place, and parameters of its choosing.

RESTON, Va. General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT -- a business unit of General Dynamics) has won the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Southern Command's (SOUTHCOM) Cyber Information Technology Enterprise Services (SCITES) contract by the U.S. General Service Administration (GSA) Federal Systems Integration and Management Center (FEDSIM). The single award -- consisting of a seven-month base period with six one-year options -- holds a total estimated value of $761.6 million.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas. Texas A&M University's Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) has been granted a $20 million per year contract to found and run what it will call the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (UCAH).

TAMPA. U.S. Special Operations Command has awarded three companies five-year contracts -- with the contracts worth as much as $780 million -- to furnish equipment and technical assistance for designated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) activities.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. Purdue University is at the helm of a national initiative sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense that aims to address and resolve the urgent need for engineering graduates to develop defense technologies, particularly in the area of microelectronics.