RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesOn July 20, President Donald Trump signed an important executive order designed to ensure U.S. defense contractors no longer buy critical minerals from China. This is just the latest in a series of administration moves to enhance the security of our most critical supply chains.
The Pentagon has been leading the way with a sharpened focus on increasing production across our nation's defense-related industrial base. Simply stated, we cannot allow Chinese control of any material vital to our war-fighting capabilities.
Supply chain vetting is entirely consistent with the administration's strategy for U.S. economic growth, which relies on a renewed push to onshore manufacturing rather than rely on imports from unregulated and unreliable suppliers. That's good for the U.S. labor force and a great benefit to our national security.
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The good news is that we don’t need to do it all ourselves. We should never hesitate to partner, especially with our G7 allies and other close partners, as long as production takes place on U.S. soil.
Consider a recent agreement signed between U.S. company ReconCraft and Ukrainian company Uforce to produce drone boats in Portland, Oregon. The deal marks the first time a U.S. manufacturer will produce drone boats as part of the Pentagon's push to increase its capacity of autonomous weapons. In a proof-of-concept kinetic strike earlier in July, U.S. drone boats successfully targeted an Iranian submarine facility at a naval base in the Strait of Hormuz.
In addition to equipment and their respective work forces, the U.S. and Ukraine will share the warfighting doctrine for effective use of the boats in conflicts. Ukrainian drone operators have developed this doctrine from years of battlefield experience in the face of a relentless Russian invasion.
Relevant applications for the U.S. military are many, including in the Middle East, where the war with Iran requires our use of the most advanced drone and counter-drone technology available. We need these force multipliers to reinvigorate our defense industrial base.
Similar thinking is being applied to the U.S. supply chain for semiconductors and their precursor components, essential for the production of drones. Last December, Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn led the effort to eliminate a significant semiconductor supply chain vulnerability by introducing the Chip EQUIP Act. The act would prevent companies receiving CHIPS Act funding from purchasing specialized technology, including semiconductors, from businesses owned or controlled by China.
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Warning that the "the United States must secure its semiconductor supply chains by ensuring American semiconductor companies don't buy manufacturing tools from Communist China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran," Blackburn emphasized that "the Chip EQUIP Act would prevent U.S. labs that receive CHIPS funding from utilizing manufacturing tools made in adversarial nations."
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Blackburn knows first-hand about semiconductor supply chains. The Wacker Polysilicon Plant, a German subsidiary, which produces critical semiconductor precursor polysilicon is located in her home state of Tennessee.
Kudos to the Trump administration for staying vigilant and innovative in securing our most critical supply chains. With leadership from the White House , Congress should continue to push for bipartisan legislative support for this innovative procurement strategy and related trade actions. Our military and national security deserve nothing less.
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