How to Strengthen Supply Chains for Hypersonics.

• Author: Wostenberg, Rebecca

As the severity of U.S. supply chain vulnerabilities has become more apparent in recent years, the National Defense Industrial Association's Emerging Technologies Institute launched an ambitious study to assess the state of defense emerging technology supply chains and provide policy recommendations for their development, health and resilience.

The first report, "Hypersonics Supply Chains: Securing the Path to the Future," was released May 11.

The report concludes that current hypersonics supply chains, including the manufacturing base, critical material supplies, testing infrastructure and the workforce are incapable of supporting hypersonic weapons deployed at-scale.

Why? Participants in ETI-led working groups said that the Defense Department's inconsistent demand signals are, at least partially, responsible. Its lack of consistent focus on this technology has led to a small hypersonics manufacturing base with limited suppliers, suited only for manufacturing small numbers of hypersonic systems with long lead times.

Testing is another key supply chain concern. Existing hypersonics testing infrastructure is insufficient due to age and lack of efficient data gathering. At the same time, hypersonic systems compete for limited test resources with current high-priority programs, such as missile defense and nuclear deterrence.

With these limitations, solutions are needed in the short and long term. Additional testing infrastructure should be jointly funded by the Defense Department and industry at appropriate academic institutions to help replace aging systems and facilities. Despite positive steps at some universities, much more needs to be done. University testing can--with appropriate security protocols in place--also help address workforce challenges evaluated in the report.

The nation should also look to partners and allies to address testing infrastructure shortfalls. The United States already has a blooming partnership with Australia in this regard that should be expanded. The department should also conduct a feasibility study of an overland flight corridor in northern Canada.

Another integral part of the hypersonics supply chain is the workforce. According to several working group participants, existing hypersonic talent is unbalanced and misaligned to current needs, in part due to the volatile history of the technology's development. There is a plethora of early and mid-career aerothermal expertise, but a dearth of expertise in...