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74 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2026 T he Defense Logistics Agency has initiated formal proceedings to cancel the military's primary performance specification for printed circuit boards, a move that could reshape how the U.S. defense industrial base qualifies and sources one of its most critical electronic compo- nents. On March 4, 2026, DLA Weapons Support is- sued a memorandum to military and industry coor- dination activities announcing that MIL-PRF-31032, along with its six associated specification sheets, has been proposed for cancellation. A 30-day comment period was allotted, with concurrence or comments due by April 3, 2026. DLA Weapons Support has stated it will cease management of these documents in April 2026, and that any activ- ity wishing to preserve the specification must for- mally accept transfer of management responsibility from DLA Weapons Support before that deadline. The notice is terse and bureaucratic in tone, but its implications are anything but routine. What MIL-PRF-31032 Actually Does MIL-PRF-31032, Printed Circuit Board/Printed Wir- ing Board, General Specification For, has been the cornerstone of DoD's printed wiring board (PWB) qualification framework since it first superseded MIL-PRF-55110 in 1995. The specification estab- lishes general performance requirements for all PCBs and PWBs procured for military use, and its associated specification (slash) sheets (1 through 6) address specific board technologies ranging from rigid multilayer boards to flexible and rigid-flex configurations used in high-frequency applications. Critically, MIL-PRF-31032 is not a design guide- line or quality standard; it is a performance specifi- cation tied directly to the Qualified Manufacturers List (QML) program. Every printed board produced for the DoD must come from a manufacturer certi- fied under this specification. Certification requires successful completion of a rigorous qualification process administered by the DLA Land and Mari- time Sourcing and Qualifications Division, including verification of the manufacturer's Quality Manage- BY STEVE WILLIAMS, THE RIGHT APPROACH CONSULTING THE END OF AN ERA DoD Proposes MIL-PRF-31032 Cancellation