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July 2017 • SMT Magazine 9 and VP John Vaughan. Our experts focused on cybersecurity, in particular, the NIST Special Publication 800-171, published by the Nation- al Institute of Standards and Technology, which describes the US government security controls for unclassified information in non-federal information systems and organizations. According to NIST, the US government in- creasingly relies on external service providers to help carry out a wide range of missions and business functions using state-of-the-practice information systems. Many federal contractors routinely process, store, and transmit sensitive information to support the delivery of essential products and services to federal agencies, in- cluding those contractors developing commu- nications, satellite, and weapons systems. NIST 800-171 was developed to protect the confiden- tiality of controlled unclassified information residing in these contractors' information sys- tems. I think this will be another thorn in con- tract manufacturers' sides; they will have to en- sure that all their information systems are com- pliant to the said requirements. The electronics manufacturing industry may have transitioned to lead-free years ago, but there are still several market segments, such as mil/aero, that are exempted from RoHS due to reliability issues. Electronics assembly pro- viders working in such markets face the diffi- culty of sourcing advanced components in non- RoHS compliant configurations. Hence, the rea- son lead-free will remain an issue, at least in defense and aerospace applications. To enlight- en us on this subject, one of the articles in this month's issue of SMT Magazine comes from Da- vid Hillman of Rockwell Collins, who discuss- es the utilization of lead-free BGAs in a tin/lead soldering process. Manufacturers also need to ensure counter- feit components do not enter their manufactur- ing supply chain to ensure the reliability of the subassemblies. You can find inside an article by Martin Goetz and Ramesh Varma of Northrop Grumman Corp., which is about a case study on counterfeit electronic components identifi- cation. Meanwhile, in an interview, Davina Mc- Donnell of Saline Lectronics talks about strate- gies to address counterfeits, and to ensure the security of your component supply chain. Jerry Sidone of Alpha Assembly Solutions, on the other hand, writes about a thermal indi- cator technology for quality control—specifical- ly, ensuring a reliable solder joint—in aerospace wire harness assemblies. This month, we are also featuring our cov- erage of the recent IMPACT Washington, D.C. event by the IPC. My colleague Patty Goldman, who is the managing editor of The PCB Mag- azine, attended the event. You can find inside her discussions with several companies in the EMS industry, among others. Of course, SMT Magazine is not complete without our expert columnists writing about the latest issues and developments in their neck of the woods. Find the latest columns inside from Tom Borkes of The Jefferson Project, Bob Wettermann of BEST Inc., and Rich Heimsch of Super Dry-Totech EU. I hope you enjoy this month's issue of SMT Magazine. Next month, we will look into the importance of training and education in your workforce, and the benefits that you get in ensuring that your operators, engineers and supervisors have the proper knowledge and skill sets to perform at their peak levels, day in and day out. SMT Stephen Las Marias is managing editor of SMT Magazine. He has been a technology editor for more than 12 years covering electronics, components, and industrial automation systems. TODAY'S MIL/AERO ENEMIES: COUNTERFEITS, OBSOLESCENCE AND FAILURE