DOD establishes new supply chain resiliency working group

The Pentagon has established a new supply chain resiliency working group to address "systemic barriers currently limiting supply chain visibility, conduct resiliency assessments, and develop effective mitigation actions."

Acting Pentagon acquisition chief Gregory Kausner said the working group will aim to fix a problem that took "50 years to evolve."

"A comprehensive strategic approach will take time, dedicated attention, and resources," he said in a statement. "Effective implementation begins with understanding our vulnerabilities and the necessary responses, so we can focus our efforts to build greater resiliency across critical supply chains."

The Pentagon's focus on supply chain challenges was heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed vulnerabilities across the defense industrial base.

The new working group is aligned with a February executive order mandating the federal government conduct a comprehensive supply chain review.

The Pentagon noted in a statement that "multiple recent National Defense Authorization Acts require DOD to better understand its supply chains, and the current and future threats to their stability and security."

The new Pentagon working group will be led by the Office of Industrial Policy.

"The working group is a down payment on a long-term problem," said Jesse Salazar, deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial policy. "It coalesces efforts from across the department and provides a mechanism to develop a framework and proactive strategy to change the way DOD does business, and better secure our supply chains."

The working group's review will span a two-year period and will "leverage work already being performed" across the federal government, the Pentagon said.

The group's initial findings will be included in the annual report on the defense industrial base, which is expected early next year.