Department of Defense supply chain may be vulnerable to imitation technology

Government supply chains may be vulnerable to infiltration of counterfeit parts, according to a letter written to Ashton Carter, the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition.

Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Tom Carper of Delaware stated their belief in a letter dated August 6 that the Pentagon's supply chain is not secure enough to fully protect against imitation supplies. The counterfeit supplies, if used, could jeopardize the safety of American soldiers and undermine the effectiveness of American weapons.

Many of the counterfeit supplies that have been confiscated were electronic components, items such as circuit boards, chip sets and microcircuits.

"Counterfeit parts manufactured offshore not only hurt American manufacturing and competitiveness, but in this case, have the potential to put our military at risk and jeopardize our national security missions," said Senator Brown.

Although the Department of Defense has a procedure for eliminating defective supplies which do not conform to government standards, this system does not always spot counterfeit products. The Senators have urged the Department of Defense to keep closer tabs on its supply chain to prevent fake electronics from finding their way into American military products.