MilitarySpot.com

Serving the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard

Camp Lejeune Claims
| VA Loans
Follow MilitarySpot:
 
  • Home
  • Enlist
    • Join The Army
    • Join The Navy
    • Join The Air Force
    • Join The Marines
    • Join The Coast Guard
    • Join The National Guard
    • ASVAB
    • Army Physical Fitness Test
    • Military Draft
    • Prior Service Army Enlistment
  • Career
    • Join the Military
    • Jobs for Military and Civilians
    • Career Center
    • Prior Service Army Enlistment
    • Criminal Justice
  • Education
    • Online Schools
    • Spouse Education Benefits
    • GI Bill
    • Military Schools
    • Criminal Justice
  • Benefits
    • Army Benefits
    • Navy Benefits
    • Air Force Benefits
    • Marine Corps Benefits
    • National Guard Benefits
    • Coast Guard Benefits
    • Veteran Benefits
    • Basic Pay Rates
    • Allowances
    • Special & Incentive Pay
    • Military Spouse Education Benefits
    • VA Education Benefits
    • GI Bill
  • News
    • Headline News
  • Finance
    • Debt Relief
    • Military Pay Rates
    • Military Personal Loans
    • VA Loans
    • Military Star Card
    • Military MyPay
  • Spouses
    • School Finder
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • PCS, DITY, & Moving
    • Pay Rates
    • MyCAA
    • Education Benefits
  • Community
    • Military Games
    • Military Reunions
    • Classifieds
    • Photo Gallery
    • Buddy Finder
    • MilitarySpot Pinups
    • Military Bases
  • Resources
    • Military Alphabet
    • Military Reunions
    • Military Acronyms
    • Currency Converter
    • Military Tools
    • Ranks
    • Military Time
    • Military Tactics
    • Military Discounts
    • Military Games
    • Military Videos
    • Photo Gallery
    • Infographics
    • How To
  • Travel

Virus Draws Attention to Defense Industrial Base Vulnerabilities

DECEMBER 7, 2020 – When COVID-19 flared up earlier this year, the government and military looked for the medical supplies needed to keep citizens and medical personnel safe. The search put a spotlight on a fact the Defense Department had become aware of but not many had talked about: Many goods and supplies critical to the nation are not made in the U.S., but overseas — and, many times, their manufacture was by nations the U.S. doesn’t consider to be allies, said the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.

“When the pandemic rolled around and everyone realized how vulnerable we were as a nation without the [personal protective equipment] and the pharmaceuticals that we needed where we depended on offshore sources, that heightened everybody’s awareness of how that spreads through the defense industry, as well,” Ellen M. Lord said during a discussion with the Hudson Institute that was recorded Dec. 1. “COVID was a type of silver lining for us in a way.”

Lord said the department worked in 2017 and 2018 on a study, in response to a presidential executive order, to look at the defense industrial base, or DIB.

“We published a report in 2018,” she said. “What that really did was segment the defense industrial base, and it gave us a lexicon to talk about what that industrial base consisted of. We also identified where we had vulnerabilities and fragility in the industrial base — and a lot of that was where we had 100% dependency offshore, and especially when we were relying on nations who aren’t particularly our partners and allies for critical items.”

As a result of COVID-19, it became apparent to even those outside DOD the nature of the problem of the U.S. not manufacturing stateside the critical goods and supplies it needs for its own health and national defense.

“We, therefore, were able to move out and make some investments in industrial capacity and throughput,” she said.

Two areas identified in the 2018 report as being critical are rare earth minerals and microelectronics, both of which she said are necessary for weapon systems and the nation at large.

Lord said the U.S. has some capacity for mining rare earth minerals domestically, as do partner nations Australia and Canada. But for processing of those minerals, she said, the U.S. depends mostly on China.

“We are beginning to re-shore capability for [the] processing of rare earths, as well as working on a strategy to bridge from where we are today with our programs of records and our legacy systems, in terms of microelectronics, until we can get to the future a quantifiable assurance, and knowing what we have in these different chipsets we’re buying,” she said.

Another issue Lord addressed is “adversarial capital.” That’s money invested by adversarial nations in U.S.-owned businesses responsible for defense production or other critical products and supplies.

“We use the Council on Foreign Investment in the U.S., CFIUS. DOD is very active in that,” she said. “What we are seeing is, unfortunately, nations such as China have taken advantage of the pandemic. They’ve come in with what we call ‘adversarial capital.’ And they have bought critical national assets, whether that [is] in terms of intellectual property or whether that [is] technology development or manufacturing.”

The DOD, through a variety of methods, has the ability to intervene in such purchases, Lord said. And also important, she said, is to work with allied nations to let them know how the problem of adversarial capital affects both them and the U.S.

“When we work with our partners and allies, that’s an even stronger position,” she said. “Our adversaries are pretty smart. And they can often go to another country and have shell organizations and so forth. So, when we can partner with other nations to get at that, it’s a powerful thing.”

By C. Todd Lopez, Defense.gov

Comments

Filed Under: News

  • News
  • Enlist
  • Education
  • Career
  • Finance

Students Aid Navy Research by Building Robots

JULY 2, 2022 – Could a robot work its way through the heavy doors, steep stairways and tight corridors of a Navy ship to potentially alleviate Sailors of repetitive maintenance tasks? Local college students sought to answer that question as they brought robots they had designed to navigate a ship-model obstacle course in Naval Surface […]

Armed Forces: Pros and Cons of Joining the Military

JUNE 27, 2022 – Many people don’t know where to apply themselves after graduating high school. Some of them join the military for a free college education. They see this as an opportunity to earn and to travel the world. In any case, enlisting in the army is an important decision. One has to be […]

Top 5 University Scholarships for Military in the UK

JUNE 20, 2022 – The cost of a college education can be daunting and unaffordable for many university students in the UK. For the students who have set their hearts on joining the military, there are several scholarships available for them.  These scholarships help military students overcome the financial challenges of attending college. A University […]

PaYS Announces Changes to Name and Program

JUNE 15, 2022 – The Partnership for Youth Success is changing its name and some of its operations. This is a culmination of the 3-year transition period that began when PaYS moved to the Training and Doctrine command in 2019 which found the organization under new management with a growing number of partner organizations. PaYS […]

DoD Authorizes Temporary Increase to 2021 BAH Rates

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021 – The Department of Defense has temporarily authorized increases in the 2021 Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates for 56 housing markets (commonly referred to as Military Housing Areas, MHAs) across the U.S. Uniformed service members who have incurred increased housing costs above their current BAH may be eligible to apply and […]

Recent Posts

  • Students Aid Navy Research by Building Robots
  • Reserve Marines Simulate Cyberspace Attackers
  • MQ-9 Reapers Join Indo-Pacific Exercise
  • What Is Antiterrorism And What Are Your Resources
  • NATO Meets Challenges of Today, Prepares For Tomorrow
MAINMENU




SITESEARCH
Can't find something? Try using our site search to dig through our entire site.



Still having trouble? Try the Advanced Search to refine your searches.
NEWSLETTERSUBSCRIBE
Sign Up To Receive Information, Updates and Special Officers from MilitarySpot.com.



Don't miss an issue! Jump in the Newsletter Archives to catch up on previous issues.
FOLLOWMILITARY SPOT

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & StumbleUpon and more. Keep up with MilitarySpot.com news & updates. We also have an RSS Feed.

Advertise | About | Contact | Feedback | Unsubscribe | DMCA | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
 
Copyright 2004-2022 Sun Key Publishing. All Rights Reserved.



 
This is not the official recruiting website of the U.S. Military. The site you are on is run by Sun Key Publishing, a private company, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with the U.S. Military.