The Middle of the Sandwich: Small Business Reality in the Defense Supply Chain

Everyone talks about strengthening the Defense Industrial Base.
Few talk about the small businesses holding it together.
The Middle of the Sandwich: Small Business Reality in the Defense Supply Chain is an unfiltered look at the small manufacturers who sit between primes, policymakers, and reality, responsible for quality, schedule, cybersecurity, and compliance, yet given little authority or leverage.
Written by a defense manufacturing business owner with nearly 20 years inside the system, this book captures what doesn’t make it into white papers or conference panels: the late-night problem-solving, the compliance overload, the supply chain bottlenecks, and the constant pressure to “just make it work.”
Inside, you’ll explore:
What small defense manufacturers actually do day-to-day
Why requirements and flow-down like CMMC, DFARS, and NIST land differently in small shops
The real constraints hiding in approved vendor lists and finishing houses
Why “just buy the tools” isn’t a cybersecurity strategy
How workforce challenges, legacy data, and misaligned urgency slow delivery
What leadership looks like when you’re stuck in the middle
This book is for:
Small business owners who want their reality understood
Machinists, buyers, programmers, and managers who keep things moving
Primes, agencies, and policymakers who want visibility into the subcontracting world
Anyone serious about building a resilient defense supply chain

Presented like a field report from a part of industry living the controlled chaos.
Welcome to the middle.