Mark Lewis, director of defense research and engineering for modernization, has said that he and Ellen Lord, the Department of Defense’s acquisitions head, are monitoring coronavirus-induced operational impacts “across the board”, Defense News reported Wednesday.
Lewis said at a Mitchell Institute event that his office is also carefully monitoring obstacles to the hypersonics supply chain as defense contractors terminated operations early last month.
“If you look at hypersonics, for example, some of the most critical elements are produced by relatively small operations, and so we’re very sensitive to that, we’re including that as we look at the impacts of coronavirus on the industrial base,” he added.
Lewis noted that a hypersonics group under his office is slated to submit a preliminary report to guide DoD hypersonics procurement in the coming months.
Lord, a 2020 Wash100 Award recipient, previously said that over 106 contractors ceased operations due to health concerns while 68 have since reopened. Major defense projects may also face delays of around three months, according to Defense News.
About The Wash100
This year represents our sixth annual Wash100 Award selection. The Wash100 is the premier group of private and public sector leaders selected by Executive Mosaic’s organizational and editorial leadership as the most influential leaders in the GovCon sector. These leaders demonstrate skills in leadership, innovation, achievement, and vision.
Visit the Wash100 site to learn about the other 99 winners of the 2020 Wash100 Award. On the site, you can submit your 10 votes for the GovCon executives of consequence that you believe will have the most significant impact in 2020.
