IG: Pentagon Reliance on Chinese Pharmaceuticals Creates National Security Risk
Report calls for moving supply chains away from China
Jack Beyrer • September 22, 2021 12:10 pm
The Defense Department's reliance on Chinese supply chains for pharmaceuticals poses a severe national security risk, a Pentagon inspector general's report warns.
The U.S. military's ability to treat soldiers and personnel worldwide relies on products made and shipped in foreign countries. The Pentagon does not produce its own pharmaceuticals, so it relies on the American commercial sector to procure vital medicines for the armed forces. As the commercial sector increases its reliance on foreign countries the department follows suit, the report, which was released Wednesday, found.
"Pharmaceutical supply disruptions could compromise the standard of care to [Defense Department] beneficiaries," the report concludes. "A disruption of the supply of foreign-made [active pharmaceutical ingredients] to domestic manufacturers could cause a drug shortage that affects every level of the U.S. health care system."
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/ig-pentagon-reliance-on-chinese-pharmaceuticals-creates-national-security-risk/
