PEO Life Cycle Cost Accountability: Viability of Foreign Suppliers for Weapon System Development - Military Strategic Minerals, Rare Earth Elements, Production Capability, National Security Concerns

This report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction. In recent history, the United States of America has developed vulnerabilities to our national security by becoming more reliant on foreign suppliers for acquisition and development of Air Force weapon systems. These vulnerabilities are due to growing reliance on foreign suppliers for raw materials to include various elements, metals, industrial minerals and agricultural products needed to supply the industrial base that provides products to meet military and civilian needs. These raw materials are not found or produced in sufficient quantities in the United States to meet our national security needs. The U.S. also is faced with vulnerabilities in reliance on foreign producers and manufactures due to lack of indigenous production capabilities in country. Defense production and manufacturing companies will not develop and produce items at a loss. Over the years pricing, mergers and consolidations within our industrial base have contributed to the issues and vulnerabilities associated with our reliance on foreign suppliers and producers. This paper exposes areas of dependence and vulnerabilities associated with the United States dependence on foreign suppliers for raw materials and production items for U.S. Weapon systems. This paper uses a qualitative approach to identify vulnerabilities and mitigate or find solutions associated with our dependence on these suppliers.

This compilation includes a reproduction of the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Most American's appreciate the importance of maintaining our national security but there are complicated challenges we face in doing this. In the past, the U.S. has had the reputation of being able to sustain air and space superiority for decades but can we hold this reputation? We are now faced with global terrorism and we can no longer rest on our laurels believing in the advantage of hegemon and friendly neighbors. We are now facing a plethora of threats from multiple arenas to include countries and rogue groups that can project power across borders and over long distances using asymmetric weapons and tactics. One of the most critical tools in our arsenal to maintain our national security and dominance through sustaining military and air superiority has been America's ability to develop and maintain critical cutting edge technologies and tools for our warfighters and their support systems. Grant Gross the author of "Study: U.S. military too reliant on foreign-made equipment" said that "The U.S. military's reliance on foreign-made products, including telecommunications equipment and semiconductors, is putting the nation's security at risk by exposing agencies to faulty parts and to the possibility that producing nations will stop selling vital items."