US military can’t rely on Chinese semiconductors because of unreliable supply chain
Now that House and Senate are resuming work following the elections, one of the top national security priorities for congressional action should be ending purchases of microchips for the U.S. military from companies that work with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). An amendment to the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) from Sens. John Cornyn, R-TX, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer appears poised to do just that.
Buying semiconductors for the U.S. defense industry from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is unacceptable. Semiconductors (commonly referred to as microchips or simply as “chips”) have become the core currency of contemporary national power. As renown Tufts University Professor Chris Miller has written, we are living in a “Chip War” for global primacy.
The countries that control the most advanced semiconductors enjoy superior economic and military power. Modern weapons cannot function effectively without semiconductors. The most important component of modern weapons systems is their computing power.
