A study conducted under the directive of US President Donald Trump and spearheaded by the Pentagon has revealed multiple instances in which the US military depends on China for the supply of critical materials used in weapons development, high-ranking US officials said.
The research, which is expected to be released in a few weeks, aimed for the US military to lessen its reliance on foreign countries, China specifically, and to strengthen its own arms industry.
One of the eye-opening conclusions from the study indicates Washington's dependence on other countries for supplies of a wide range of items like micro-electronics like integrated circuits and transistors deemed critical in running and operating weapons systems, a group of unnamed government officials told Reuters.
The Trump administration has long been wary of Beijing's growing military and economic influence which could compromise the US national security, the sources said.
A hovering concern of Pentagon is for China to inadvertently influence the American military industry by simply deciding to cut off the supply of materials or worse, compromise its security.
Moreover, the US defense agency has long been fretting about the so-called kill switches believed to be embedded within imported electronic components which could alter sensitive military systems in the event of conflict.
Intended Purposes
Amidst all these issues, the study seemed to put emphasis on the Trump admin's initiative to promote American products to the country. As pointed out by the Epoch Times, this could help bolster the government's effort to revive its military industry and in effect, create more jobs for its own people.
Lieutenant Colonel Mike Andrews, a spokesman for Pentagon, said that the documents did lay significant recommendations for the US to bolster and secure its own defense industrial base while ensuring the profitability of US producers of critical electronic components needed to develop American weaponry.
Dealing Its Own Shortcomings
As also indicated in the report by the South China Morning Post, the Pentagon-led study seeks to examine the shortcomings of the US defense base which resulted in purchases of arms equipment from foreign companies.
Another flaw being pointed out in the paper is the country's failure to boost its own science and technology that could have helped develop this particular niche.
Furthermore, it will look on the contributory factors which greatly affect the fluctuating US defense budgets.
Although it came up rather late, the study was still able to establish the fact concerning America's loss in arms manufacturing which certainly has an implication on its national security.
