Get China out of America’s military supply chain illustration by Alexander Hunter/ The Washington TimesFor over 100 years, my family-owned company, Atlas Tool Works, has manufactured precision metal parts in Illinois. We’re one of the smaller suppliers for the U.S. defense and aerospace industry, proudly making parts for the F-35 fighter jet and other critical defense systems. In fact, Northrop Grumman recently honored us for our work in support of the Department of Defense.
Chinese companies have also embedded themselves in U.S. supply chains by masquerading as domestic firms. For instance, Wanxiang America Corp. claims to be 100% American-owned. But it’s actually part of the Wanxiang Group, a Chinese conglomerate based in Hangzhou. As a technically U.S. company, however, Wanxiang America qualifies as a domestic supplier for the Pentagon.
These are just a few examples of America’s supply chain vulnerabilities. While large companies such as Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin are well known on Capitol Hill, policymakers must also consider that thousands of smaller domestic manufacturers throughout America’s heartland actually provide the inputs needed to build America’s most sensitive military equipment. Unfortunately,from America’s military supply chain.