GLOBAL, PENTAGON
Pentagon to pour $1.2 billion into ‘critical’ biomanufacturing industry
A month after a think tank said US was losing race to China, DoD hopes the tech will help fix a number of problems, including avoiding supply chain woes.
By LEE FERRAN
on September 14, 2022 at 1:15 PM
BARCELONA — The Pentagon today announced $1.2 billion in new investments into biomanufacturing, which it hopes will help lessen the impact of supply chain squeezes and “enhance” everything from hypersonic weapons to submarines.
“The Department recognizes biotechnology as a Critical Technology Area that will change the way the DoD develops new capabilities, conducts missions, and adapts to major global changes,” Heidi Shyu, undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said in a Defense Department release.
Of the funding, $1 billion will be invested in the next five years into “bioindustrial domestic manufacturing infrastructure” to speed the growth of that industrial base, including through providing incentives for “private- and public-sector partners to expand manufacturing capacity […].” The remaining $200 million will help protect that initial investment by improving “biosecurity and cybersecurity postures at these facilities.”
https://breakingdefense.com/2022/09/pentagon-to-pour-1-2-billion-into-critical-biomanufacturing-industry/
