Supply Chain Security—It’s Everyone’s Business

When it comes to supply chain security, the United States continues to relearn painful lessons from the past without taking the necessary steps to prevent or mitigate these mistakes before they occur again. This is true even while the nature of many goods has evolved to a point where much of their functionality includes a software element. The DIB can no longer afford to continue making the same mistakes, repeatedly, with regard to safeguarding the nation’s critical supply chains. Rather, the United States must create a comprehensively scoped approach to supply chain security tailored to the mission and technologies of concern that mitigates the potential impacts of a successful attack on a supply chain.

Additionally, the defense industry must address the compromises in its supply chains regardless of whether they come from purposeful, accidental, or negligent conduct or sources. This requires the DIB and the national security community to determine what negative operational impacts stakeholders should try to avoid and use that to drive supply chain focus. And for the industrial base specifically, it must be made clear that failures to effectively address the various aspects of supply chain security will affect not only our national security posture but industry’s own ability to conduct business with the United States government.