US defense industry vulnerable to China, government watchdog warns

The U.S. defense industrial base and all branches of the U.S. military depend heavily on materials produced by China to make and use critical weapon systems, creating national security risks, a government watchdog warned in a recent report.

The Defense Department relies on a global network of over 200,000 suppliers for its weapon systems and military equipment and uses the Federal Procurement Data System database to flag materials and components originating from hostile countries.

However, this database currently “provides limited information about the countries of origin,” a July 24 Government Accountability Office report found, and federal contractors are not currently contractually obligated to tell DOD where all of their manufacturing components originate from.

Of over 99 material