IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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80 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2026 A M E R I CA N M A D E A DVO CACY C urrent world events demonstrate the fragil- ity of long-distance supply chains transiting multiple zones of conflict. The U.S. military is currently drawing down supplies of key muni- tions and other electronic systems at unprecedent- ed rates. 1 Every one of those systems is powered by printed circuit boards. The American PCB industry has kept pace with peacetime demand for the defense industry, but will now be called upon to increase production to a wartime footing at rates not seen in decades. The challenge is capacity. The companies America relies on to produce PCBs for defense applications continue to experience internal capacity erosion as HDI/UHDI demand increases. This trend is expected to accelerate as defense procurement of electronics increases. However, over the past three decades, America has been shuttering PCB facto- ries, not building them. The result is very few PCB companies that are ready to expand production. This problem has been addressed for other elements of the technology stack. The U.S. gov- ernment made major investments in semiconduc- tors, and rare earth and critical minerals. These investments are an important first step, but pale in comparison to the aggressive industrial policies of governments in Asia, where governments under- stand the importance of PCB manufacturing and BY S H A N E W H I T ES I D E , P C BA A Rebuilding America's Military Stockpiles Begins With Microelectronics