Mike Gordon, deputy chief information security officer at Lockheed Martin, has said the company has collaborated with the Defense Department and some industry partners on a pilot program to provide DoD with a comprehensive view of the supply chain, Fifth Domain reported Sunday.
The pilot program aims to help DoD know the companies that supply parts for weapons systems and other military equipment and comes amid concerns over the infiltration of the U.S. supply chain by foreign entities.
Gordon described the defense industry as a “very tiered†sector.
“Because of contract privity and competitive advantage, the tier one doesn’t necessarily know who in the tier four is working on a particular program, and the government does not necessarily know that either,†he told reporters.
News of the test program came weeks after the Pentagon announced that it will audit the aerospace and defense sector’s supply chains in response to a White House-commissioned study that identified challenges to the country’s industrial base.