Purpose: To examine the strategic importance of quality level assessment of defense contractors from the perspective of quality management maturity and to derive policy implications.Methods: Data from 190 defense manufacturing firms were analyzed using descriptive and comparative analysis. The measurement model consisted of four dimensions: strategic direction, organization and culture, process, and infrastructure.Results: The overall quality level remained at a moderate level, with most firms concentrated in the QC and QA stages. While the process dimension showed relatively high performance, significant weaknesses were found in strategic alignment, organizational culture, and infrastructure, particularly in data-driven quality management. Differences in maturity were observed across firm sizes, and similar weaknesses appeared at the supply chain level.Conclusion: Quality level assessment can serve as a strategic tool for diagnosing organizational maturity and supporting policy decisions. A transition toward maturity-based quality management is required, emphasizing data-driven infrastructure, quality culture, and differentiated policy support.
Beak et al. (Mon,) studied this question.