A compact motor control system for selectively controlling power from a power source to a load includes a motor switching assembly having a solid state contactor with a plurality of solid state switches. The motor switching assembly also includes at least one direct current (DC) link coupled to the solid state contactor and redundant first and second inverters coupled to the at least one DC link. The motor switching assembly further includes a first relay coupled between the solid state contactor and an input of the inverter and a second relay coupled between the solid state contactor and an input of the second inverter. In addition, the motor control system includes a control system programmed to control the motor switching assembly to selectively supply power to the load from the power source.