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President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order this afternoon ordering a review of the defense industrial base and supply chains Friday afternoon.
In an off-camera briefing to reporters, Peter Navarro, director of the National Trade Council, said that there is a shortage of domestic companies that can manufacture and repair certain key components for defense purposes.
Some items like flat-screen displays and military grade semiconductors are difficult or impossible to source domestically, making the military supply chain vulnerable.
Certain key industries, such as being able to process the rare-earth minerals needed for modern electronics, no longer exist in the United States, Navarro said.
Some key systems are also highly dependent on sole-source suppliers, he said.
"There's just one company in the U.S. that can repair propellers for Navy submarines," Navarro said.
The Executive Order on Assessing and Strengthening the Manufacturing and Defense Industrial Base and Supply Chain Resiliency of the United States will order a review that is expected to be completed within 270 days.
The review will determine the sources of critical defense components and manufacturing and assess how to improve domestic supply chains.
Navarro is an economist who has strongly criticized the offshoring of U.S. manufacturing and the resultant loss of domestic industry and jobs. He has played a key role in forming Trump's economic policy concepts.
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