Second Sourcing in Defense Supply Chains: A Solution for Strengthening Resilience

High Tech / High TouchTMS
Written By Jennifer Joslyn

Op-ed authors Olivia Letts and Jerry McGinn suggest that the US defense industry should consider implementing second sourcing as a solution to supply chain limitations and enhance resilience. Second sourcing, the practice of utilizing multiple suppliers for comparable goods and services, was successful during the 1980s, promoting competition and cost-cutting. While cost concerns and quality issues caused its decline in the 1990s, the need to strengthen supply chains presents an opportunity for second sourcing's revival, particularly by prioritizing resilience over immediate cost savings and identifying high-priority components for second sourcing through a joint government-industry effort.

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Jennifer Joslyn
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