By Lauren C. Williams
Mar 16, 2021
Supply chain vulnerabilities have long been a concern in the Pentagon, but the Defense Department’s growing dependence on small drones, semiconductors and microelectronics manufactured by adversaries has gained increased attention in recent months.
To address growing uneasiness, the House Armed Services Committee has launched a task force to investigate defense supply chain vulnerabilities, foreign manufacturing concerns and other issues raised by the pandemic.
Co-chairs Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) will lead a three-month effort that aims to survey the critical supplies DOD needs for military and national security and identify the vulnerabilities and chokepoints in those supply chains. The effort is geared toward coming up with legislative solutions to build supply chain resilience that can be included in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act for 2022.