Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1541367
66 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2025 infiltration of our defense supply chains is due to be implemented in 2027. Compliance requires the cooperation of thousands of suppliers for the complex systems that support our national defense and critical infrastructure. Our industry needs consistent public and private investment. The Protecting Circuit Board and Substrates Act, H.R. 3597, is an enabling piece of legislation that would provide the long-term demand signal and investment needed to build back our industry. This demand signal will enable government and investors to support strengthening our industry to meet the needs of our national secu- rity and ensure a secure infrastructure. We should all be letting our elected representatives know how important it is to restore American manufacturing. Now, more than ever, we need to continue our advocacy. More voices create impact. We invite companies throughout the PCB supply chain to join PCBAA to make our impact even greater. PCB007 Shane Whiteside is president and CEO of Summit Interconnect and current chair of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America. To read past columns, click here. A M E R I CA N M A D E A DVO CACY The current situation also illustrates the diffe - ence between how China approaches planning and how we operate in the Western world. In the U.S., our business decisions are focused on shorter- term shareholder returns. The Chinese government works with its industrial base to plan for and invest over a quarter-century timeline. They invested in many industries, which they now dominate, includ- ing ship building, rare earth minerals, and electron- ics. The Chinese government and its industries achieved this dominance through consistent long- term planning and substantial government invest- ment. This major difference in these approaches to stra- tegic planning has resulted in Chinese companies capturing a major share of the worldwide micro- electronics market. We are now playing catch-up. It took 25 years for the U.S. electronics industry to erode to its current standing and it will not change overnight. It means we need to take aggressive and forward-thinking action now to lay the groundwork for the secure, trusted, and resilient supply chain we need as a nation. One starting point is Section 851 of the National Defense Authorization Act, which directs the Penta- gon to get Chinese goods out of our defense supply chain. The plan to solve this decades long