The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, or OUSD R&E, has issued a new document to address risks associated with microelectronics and ensure that the military and defense agencies maintain access to trusted chips.
The Department of Defense Instruction 5200.50, or Assured Access to Trusted Microelectronics, was published Friday to provide policies and procedures and assign responsibilities to secure microelectronics supply chains and defense systems and technologies.
DOD Trusted Microelectronics Policies, Responsibilities and Procedures
The 11-page document is divided into three sections: policies, responsibilities and procedures.
Under policies, the OUSD R&E wants the DOD to take five actions:
- Drive innovation in the microelectronics ecosystem
- Expand its supplier base for trusted chips
- Ensure microelectronics technology sustainment
- Adopt a risk-based assessments for decisions related to microelectronics
- Anticipate future microelectronics needs across the department
Meanwhile, the second section assigns the Pentagon’s technology leaders to support assured access to trusted microelectronics by carrying out tasks. OUSD R&E, for instance, will be in charge of providing training and education to advance microelectronics-related capabilities across the DOD. Meanwhile, the heads of various DOD components are asked to share their expertise to support assured access to trusted microelectronics whenever needed.
Section three promotes evidence-based assurance that considers factors such as security features, test results, best practices, suppliers and intellectual property strategies to make informed decisions on microelectronics used in defense systems and technologies.
According to OUSD R&E, the DOD’s microelectronics supply chain faces “constantly changing and evolving security risks” that threaten not just the performance of defense equipment but, more broadly, national security.
The document is in line with DOD’s Trusted & Assured Microelectronics program, which aims to mitigate threats throughout the microelectronics supply chain and modernize defense systems by opening access to advanced microelectronics that utilize commercially driven capabilities.
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