Strategies to Enable Assured Access to Semiconductors for the Department of Defense

By: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and Policy and Global Affairs and Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences and Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy and National Materials and Manufacturing Board and Committee on Global Microelectronics: Models for the Department of Defense in Semiconductor Public-Private Partnerships

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Synopsis: Semiconductor chips power practically all electronic devices, from cellphones and vehicles to communications and defense systems essential for national security. The Department of Defense (DoD) uses a wide range of semiconductors for mission systems such as radars, sensors, and high-power-density electronics - but the U.S. is now strongly dependent on other nations for both commercial and defense semiconductor needs. At the request of Congress, this study addresses the challenges that DoD is experiencing as it engages with the global microelectronics sector and explores ways to engage with public-private partnerships to support assured production and innovation in the semiconductor industry. The recommendations of Strategies to Enable Assured Access to Semiconductors for the Department of Defense focus on long-term strategic coordination, investment in emerging technologies, leveraging of commercial advancements, and a modernization strategy that is nimble enough to incorporate emerging technologies and be responsive to global competition.