Ban These Chinese Chipmakers from Pentagon Purchases
Congress should pass a proposed expansion of the law that keeps the federal government from buying certain companies’ products.
MASEH ZARIF and MARK MONTGOMERY | NOVEMBER 17, 2022 01:23 PM ET
COMMENTARY CHINA PENTAGON INDUSTRY C4ISR
American chipmaking companies and government focus are finally putting the United States back on the offensive in the semiconductor field. This is a welcome development, but it must be paired with a good defense, which starts with ensuring that federal government networks are free of Chinese-made chips that pose a national-security risk to the United States.
Congress could, and should, do just that as it negotiates a final defense authorization bill in the coming weeks. A provision in the Senate’s version of the annual defense-policy bill would expand the Section 889 government procurement ban to cover chips made by high-risk Chinese companies.
Section 889, a provision in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, prohibits the federal government from obtaining telecommunications and surveillance equipment or services from certain entities, including those the Defense Department has identified as Chinese military companies, like Huawei and Hikvision. The law also prohibits the federal government from contracting with companies that make significant use of the equipment and services of these Chinese entities.
https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2022/11/ban-these-chinese-chipmakers-pentagon-purchases/379823/
