The Department of War has issued new guidance establishing procedures for identifying, assessing and mitigating threats posed by vendors supporting U.S. military operations.
According to DOW, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment Michael Duffey, a 2026 Wash100 awardee, approved the guidance on vendor threat mitigation, or VTM, which took effect Monday.
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What Is the Purpose of the Vendor Threat Mitigation Guidance?
The VTM guidance establishes standardized procedures across the department to vet commercial suppliers and manage risks linked to foreign adversaries, criminal networks and extremist organizations that may exploit vendor relationships with DOW.
The guidance directs DOW officials to establish and maintain programs that evaluate the threat profile of vendors engaging in covered activities with the department.
The instruction requires combatant commands other DOW components to protect U.S., allied and partner personnel, equipment and installations from espionage, sabotage and other security threats arising from compromised vendor support and promote cross-functional coordination among contracting, intelligence, security, legal and mission assurance communities to support informed decision-making.
The guidance also aligns with existing risk-management processes, including referral of certain assessments to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency and the DOW Supply Chain Risk Management Threat Analysis Center.
What Are the Responsibilities of DOW Officials Under the VTM Guidance?
The instruction assigns leadership roles and responsibilities to senior DOW officials to implement and oversee the VTM framework.
Under the guidance, the deputy assistant secretary of war for logistics should develop policy and oversee the implementation of VTM capabilities; validate VTM requirements; support information sharing and workforce training efforts; and co-chair the VTM Executive Council and subordinate working groups, among other responsibilities.
The guidance tasks the principal director for defense pricing, contracting and acquisition policy, or DPCAP, with coordinating updates to acquisition regulations and issuing contracting guidance to support VTM implementation.
The principal director, DPCAP, should also address acquisition data gaps by supporting systems to house vendor information and help ensure that contract clauses, procurement guidance and acquisition workforce training support execution of VTM programs.
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