Assessment of the Critical
Supply Chains Supporting the U.S. Information and Communications Technology
Industry
Joint Statement by Secretaries Raimondo and Mayorkas
on Assessment of the Critical Supply Chains Supporting the Information and Communications
Technology Industry
[ABS News Service/26.02.2022]
On 24 February, Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo and Secretary
of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas released the
following statement on the completion of a one-year assessment on the critical supply
chains supporting the information and communications technology (ICT) industry.
Directed by President Biden as part of the Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains
(EO 14017), the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security evaluated the current supply chain conditions for select hardware and software
products, identified key risks that threaten to disrupt those supply chains, and
proposed a strategy to mitigate risk and strengthen supply chain resiliency.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and related disruptions exposed existing vulnerabilities
in both domestic and global ICT supply chains. Over the past 30 years, ICT manufacturing
has shifted overseas, which presents challenges for the United States’ supply chain
resilience and economic security. In addition, cyber incidents have revealed the
capability of malicious actors to stealthily compromise ICT software and hardware
products, often undetected.
“To address these challenges, the Departments of Commerce and Homeland
Security continue to take immediate actions to bolster the U.S. industrial base
as part of a whole-of-government approach to protect and strengthen the supply chains
that keep our economy running and our communities safe, but the U.S. government
alone cannot address these ICT supply chain vulnerabilities. We look forward to
working with industry stakeholders, foreign governments, and other domestic and
international partners to implement measures identified in the assessment that build
resilience and security throughout the ICT supply chain and across our nation.”