Defense Technology Base: Risks of Foreign Dependencies for Military Unique Critical Technologies

In an interdependent global economy, foreign sources of technology abound in both the commercial and defense sectors. There are sometimes economic, political, and military advantages to using foreign sources of supply for technology. The concern over foreign sourcing relates to whether a dependency constitutes a risk, or vulnerability, to the United States. Such a risk would exist if the United States were to become so dependent on a foreign source that its ability to secure the most advanced technology for the development of a future weapon system were to become compromised. Although foreign sourcing does not necessarily mean dependency, many experts agree that the trend toward increasing foreign sources should be closely monitored to reduce potential national security risks.