Prime contractor and subcontractor
The prime holds the contract with the government; subcontractors supply components and services to the prime.
A prime contractor is the company that holds a contract directly with the government. Subcontractors are the companies the prime hires to supply components, materials, or services that go into fulfilling that contract. A single weapons platform can involve one prime and a long tail of subcontractors making individual parts.
This structure is why a small, specialized parts maker can be a documented link in a major weapons supply chain without holding a high-profile contract of its own: it supplies a component to a prime, which integrates it into the finished platform. It is the pattern that runs through the defense contractors in NYC and the metro area. Federal contract records and corporate disclosures are the usual evidence for these relationships.
Also known as: prime contractor, subcontractor
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Cite this page: Break the Chain (NYC-DSA Anti-War Working Group), "Prime contractor and subcontractor," Arms-Trade and Logistics Glossary. https://wecanbreakthechain.com/glossary/prime-contractor/
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The paper trail ends at the loading dock. Break the Chain documents the NYC-area companies that move the cargo, each with a documented role and a published source, and publishes the research as it lands.