Jerry McGinn: Biden Administration Should Identify Reshoring Priorities for Defense Industrial Base

Jerry McGinn, executive director of George Mason University’s Center for Government Contracting, said he believes that reshoring production activities back to the U.S. will serve as the biggest challenge President Joe Biden must address.

McGinn told Government Matters in an interview aired Tuesday that the incoming administration must work to identify requirements for driving domestic production due to differing views on what the reshoring process entails.

He noted that there is generally bipartisan consensus on defense industrial base issues including the need to refine manufacturing skills and mitigate reliance on China on materials such as rare earths and microelectronics.

Despite their differing priorities, the Trump and Biden administrations will have “more continuity than difference” in DIB efforts moving forward, said McGinn.

Speaking on the Buy American Act, McGinn said the U.S. must first identify key areas for reshoring such as microelectronics. The nation also needs to utilize new technologies and partner with allies that have naturally compatible production capabilities such as mining.

Sustainment and analysis tools, manufacturing technologies and public cloud partnerships have been chronically underfunded prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, he added.

McGinn’s comments come after the Department of Defense issued its industrial capabilities report for fiscal year 2020.

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