According to a new Commerce Department study commissioned by the Navy the Pentagon comes up short when dealing with the rising tide of fake electronic components. The study, conducted from 2005 to 2008, found that among 387 companies and DOD organizations surveyed, 39 percent had encountered counterfeit parts. Commerce analysts believe the huge and unwieldy US supply chain exacerbates the problem, which grew—just in the electronics field—from 3,868 incidents in 2005 to nearly 9,356 in 2008. And, they say that “most DOD organizations do not have policies in place to prevent counterfeit parts from infiltrating their supply chain.” The head of the Defense Logistics Agency, Vice Adm. Alan Thompson told Washington-based defense reporters recently that he is concerned, adding that DLA is being “aggressive” in trying to stop fake parts from entering the US military supply system. (Commerce study, large file)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.