Pentagon Finds US Supply Chain May Be Too Dependent on China, Senior Official Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Pentagon has realised amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that the United States' supply chain may be too dependent on China, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord said during a press briefing on Thursday.

"What I would like to see is the US have the capacity and throughput to take care of ourselves in times of need", Lord said. "We at this point have some national security issues with China. I think we have found that our dependency on China is more than we need it to be".

Lord also thanked Mexico for reopening plants that were key to the US defence supply chain. Lord added that the Pentagon is watching India closely after it mandated the closure of businesses amid the pandemic, including some impacting the US defence sector, and hopes they can transition back to operational status.

Moreover, Lord highlighted that the pandemic has had the greatest impact on aviation supplies, small space launches and shipbuilding.

The United States has confirmed more than 1,042,874 COVID-19 cases with more than 61,200 deaths caused by the disease as of Thursday afternoon, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Centre.