Hon. Ellen Lord, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment and a 2020 Wash100 Award winner, said the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) are in talks over the potential extension of a waiver that would provide defense contractors more time to comply with a new rule that seeks to remove certain Chinese telecommunications equipment from the supply chain, Nextgov reported Wednesday.
“So what we did is we got a waiver from ODNI for noncritical weapons systems,” Lord said Wednesday at a Defense News Conference. “We continue to discuss an extension beyond September of that with them.”
The rule that bars U.S. government agencies from buying goods and services from contractors that use telecommunications equipment and other products from five China-based companies, including Huawei and ZTE, took effect Aug. 13, in compliance with Section 889 Part B of the fiscal 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The Pentagon received a temporary waiver of the contracting ban from ODNI in August that provides vendors working with DoD a reprieve from the new rule until Sept. 30.
During Potomac Officers Club’s (POC) 5G Summit, Lord will discuss emerging programs, priorities and challenges within the integration process of the new 5G framework. As emerging technologies continue to become an integral part of business and innovation, leaders across all divisions must stay ahead of the curve to tackle national and global issues.
Click here to register for Potomac Officers Club’s 5G Summit 2020 on Oct. 27th to learn about the impact that innovative technologies and 5G integration have on the private and public sectors, the steps the federal agencies have taken to remain up to speed with the rapid advancement of technology, and the future programs, plans and priorities as the nation aligns with emerging technology.
