The Aerospace Industries Association has released two documents outlining its recommendations to ensure a resilient and secure global supply chain and promote investments in critical mineral supply chains.
AIA said Wednesday its global supply chain agenda takes a comprehensive approach to address vulnerabilities and building up domestic production and offers several recommendations.
These include expanding the U.S. government workforce’s understanding of the unique supply chain challenges facing the aerospace and defense industry, encouraging U.S. government reviews of compliance and regulatory burdens in consultation with industry and enabling U.S. investment in allied and partner industrial base capacity.
The AIA white paper lists at least 12 critical minerals that are important to the defense and aerospace industry and offers recommendations to secure the country’s critical mineral supply chain.
Recommendations include revitalizing the National Defense Stockpile in line with the $1 billion authorized in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2023, investing in infrastructure to improve domestic production capacity for the identified minerals and incentivizing metals recycling.
“U.S. global leadership in aerospace and defense hinges on a secure and resilient supply chain – particularly for the critical minerals used in the production of cutting-edge aircraft technology,” said Eric Fanning, president and CEO of AIA.
“The aerospace and defense industry’s unique landscape and diverse needs must be prioritized as the country works to strengthen our global supply chains and securing access to key critical minerals. A diverse supply chain is vital to maintaining our competitive advantage and combating growing global threats,” added Fanning, a previous Wash100 awardee.
