A U.S. Department of Defense committee has issued IBM a new work order under a current contract to perform security services for the department’s microelectronics supply chain.
The 33-month task order from the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DEMA) contracts the IBM Consulting team to sustain and strengthen microelectronics construction cycles taking place at modernized, commercial fabrication factories, the New York state-headquartered company said Wednesday.
Susan Wedge, managing partner at the U.S. public and federal market arm of IBM Consulting, emphasized the importance of supply chain protection for national security, noting microelectronics’ centrality to certain mission procedures.
“IBM Consulting is pleased to continue to provide the DoD security and technical services to help safeguard the ongoing supply of U.S.-made microelectronics critical to national security systems,” Wedge, who was promoted to her current role from managing partner of IBM Consulting’s public market division in April, continued.
With the newly received work order, IBM is continuing a two-decade history of helping the DMEA Trusted Access Program Office execute their Trusted Foundry Program. The latter initiative is aimed to establish economical and secure pathways to microelectronics for the U.S. government.
Together, IBM and DMEA support the manufacture of microelectronics in a secure fashion that abides high-grade security regulations. Their work is intended to counterbalance and account for the threats and upsets international supply chains have experienced over the last two years and offer a protected haven for military semiconductors.
“Since the inception of the TAPO at DMEA, IBM has been an important partner, providing trust to advanced ASIC semiconductor technologies for the DoD’s most advanced weapon systems platforms,” remarked Aman Gahoonia, acting director of the trusted access program office at the DOD.
The DMEA work order follows IBM’s March announcement of the growth of its IBM Ecosystem in the federal market. The company is offering mentorship programs to small businesses and sharing access to the resources of partner companies like Red Hat.
