Bridging the STEM gap to strengthen United States National Security through integrated STEM education and workforce development
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22437075 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard Lamb (0000-0002-5730-9055, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-04 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Discover Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2731-5525 • E-ISSN: 2731-5525 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s44217-026-01488-9 |
| OpenAlex | W7160162234 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 45 |
The United States (U.S.) continues to face persistent shortages of domestically developed (U.S.—trained talent) STEM professionals, particularly within defense and intelligence sectors, which are central to national security. This narrative review, synthesizes findings from academic research, policy documents, and government reports to examine systemic barriers, misalignment between educational preparation, workforce needs, and gaps affecting underrepresented groups. The study identifies integrated, vertically aligned pathways spanning K–12, higher education, and federal service as essential for developing a skilled and mission-ready STEM workforce. Findings highlight early exposure, experiential learning, partnerships, and program evaluation as components of effective preparation. The results underscore that building inclusive, coherent STEM pipelines is a strategic and national security need for ensuring long-term U.S. security resilience.
National security · Workforce · Workforce development · Career Development and Diversity · Diverse Education and Engineering Focus · Education and Military Integration
Human Capital Theory
Pipeline persistence
Supporting Student Success and Persistence in STEM With Active Learning Approaches in Emerging Scholars Classrooms
Beyond Content
Vertically integrated project
A systematic literature review of barriers and supports
Using an industry-aligned capabilities framework to effectively assess student performance in non-accredited work-integrated learning contexts
STEM Education in Early Childhood
Writing Narrative Literature Reviews
Thematic Analysis
The Visual Invention Practices of STEM Researchers
Beyond the “STEM Pipeline”
Examining changes in adolescents’ high school math and science motivational beliefs and their relations to parental STEM support and STEM major choice at the intersectionality of gender and college generation status
STEM Teaching in Contemporary Education
An Analysis of Students Who Represent Missed Opportunity for Diversifying STEM Fields
The STEM pipeline
| Highly cited | No |
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