86 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2026
As DoD prepares to comply with the NDAA,
PCBAA and our member companies have until
Aug. 31, 2026, to comment on how this can be
best executed. We encourage every company with
a defense business to comment so that DoD can
implement the best rules and regulations. Amer-
ican industry is ready to get China out of our supply
chains, and we need to provide DoD with our best
counsel on smart compliance with this important
regulation.
PCBAA is also in constant dialogue with the
Department of Commerce and other executive
branch agencies to help reshore and restore the
American PCB industry. Join us today to continue
to fight for our industry. I-CONNECT007
Shane Whiteside is chair of
the Printed Circuit Board
Association of America
and president and CEO
of Summit Interconnect.
To read past columns,
click here.
There is another major factor getting renewed
focus at the Department of Defense (DoD): supply
chain security. U.S. defense and critical infrastruc-
ture systems too often depend on foreign compo-
nents. Some are benign and can be safely inte-
grated into these systems.
However, there are four countries where compo-
nents are prohibited. Section 841 of the National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2021 and
section 851 for FY 2022 require the DoD to mitigate
supply chain risks by prohibiting the procurement of
PCBs from entities located in or controlled by these
four nations: The People's Republic of China, the
Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and
the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea.
To take steps to remove PCBs from those coun-
tries, Congress required DoD to have a plan by Jan.
1, 2027, to implement this prohibition by focusing on
where bare PCBs or partially manufactured boards
are made. DoD is in the process of establishing
trusted supply chains and operational security stan-
dards for the procurement of microelectronics and
their associated PCBs.
A M E R I CA N M A D E A DVO CACY
