Preparing the defense-industrial base for a post-pandemic work routine Karen Dahut , Gen. Dennis Via (ret.) , and Aimee George Leary 2 hours ago The past 18 months have taught us that the defense workforce is adaptable, productive and collaborative in a virtual environment, according to three employees at Booz Allen Hamilton. (MC2 Logan C. Kellums/U.S. Navy) Return to work. Return to normal. The national headlines, industry events and casual conversations with colleagues reinforce the notion that we will return to the workplace as we left it in 2020. In the defense industry, we should not accept this as inevitable. The work paradigm has shifted, and we have an important opportunity to go forward, not backward. We must take advantage of what we have learned and of changing attitudes and perceptions of what the workplace of the future is.