Brent is a senior fellow for naval warfare and advanced technology at The Heritage Foundation.
U.S. President Joe Biden holds a semiconductor during his remarks before signing an Executive Order on the economy on February 24, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
Doug Mills / Pool / Getty Images
Key Takeaways
Today the United States relies on other foreign-sourced strategic materials that will have to be secured in times of crisis or conflict.
Failure to manage the supply of these critical components can bring an entire industry to a standstill—as is playing out today in the auto industry.
While the U.S. government has come to realize in recent years the danger posed to the defense supply chain, more is needed.