Overview

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security

Industrial Base Surveys and Assessments

Overview: Strategic Materials Survey and Assessment

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Office of Technology Evaluation, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), is conducting a survey and assessment to evaluate the supply chains associated with seven materials considered critical for DOD missions and programs. These materials include metals – magnesium and titanium; cadmium zinc telluride (CZT); carbon fiber materials – polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based fibers and bismaleimide (BMI) matrices; and rare-earth elements – erbium, terbium and ytterbium.

The principal goal of this assessment is to assist the defense community in understanding the health and competitiveness of critical material suppliers, and identify specific issues and challenges facing the industry both now and in the near future. By working together, this joint survey is intended to lessen the burden on respondents who would otherwise be subjected to multiple agency surveys. Information collected will include government/commercial revenue, financial and operational health, employment and skills, production capacity, research & development, ownership, unique capabilities and technologies, and other topics.

The resulting dataset and report will assist DOD agencies in developing targeted planning and acquisition strategies designed to ensure the capability of the materials supply chain to support critical defense missions and programs. It will also aid in the identification of signs of financial, economic, workforce, and other competitiveness challenges that could be further impacted by declining DOD budgets.

Approximately 800 organizations representing all aspects of this sector are receiving this survey. Your participation is vital to ensure a comprehensive dataset for the assessment. BIS has worked in successful partnership with other U.S. industry sectors and we anticipate similar cooperation from your organization on this effort.

The information collected from all survey respondents may be used publicly in aggregated form, but at no time will such reporting identify your specific organization. All information submitted to BIS is protected as Business Confidential under provisions of the Defense Production Act (DPA) of 1950, as amended. Survey responses are also exempt from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

Since 1986, BIS has completed over 50 industrial base assessments covering a variety of critical technologies and sectors. To view previous BIS reports and surveys, please visit our website at www.bis.doc.gov/dib.

Thank you again for your cooperation. We look forward to working with you.