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American Made Advocacy: Where’s the Budget for a Modern Military Run on Microelectronics?

In a world of peer threats and urgent transformation, having secure, trusted, and reliable microelectronics is non-negotiable. While largely hidden, microelectronics are the ubiquitous enablers of modern defense platforms. Nothing in the current American arsenal flies, floats, or fights without a technology stack that includes a semiconductor, an integrated circuit substrate, and a printed circuit board.

The current administration is rightly emphasizing an American manufacturing renaissance, but this lofty rhetoric is not matched by the FY2026 defense budget. The microelectronics budget is anemic and the line for microelectronics in the Defense Production Act is zero. This is concerning given the urgent need to replenish American defense stockpiles and equip our allies as they face active conflict. These dual objectives require sound policy and sustained budgetary support. That is needed to scale up our industry and deliver smart munitions, missile defense systems, UAVs, and next-generation aircraft. Policies are easier to create than budgets, but the two must align or we get nowhere.

After decades of offshoring, few American companies are left to meet the accelerating need for PCBs and other microelectronics. Today, nine out of 10 PCBs originate in Asia. While low-tech commercial boards can remain overseas, those aren’t the PCBs that absolutely must be made in the U.S. Recent media reports reveal that Chinese components are showing up in even the most sensitive defense electronics. Relying on foreign and sometimes adversarial foreign sources is a major national security issue that is not going away.

Our elected representatives and political appointees need to understand and act on the fact that defense microelectronics must be free from backdoors, tampering, or embedded malware. Using foreign-made components, especially from potential adversaries, increases the risk of espionage or sabotage. Domestic production eliminates the risk of adversaries compromising hardware in our most sensitive systems.

American-made electronics ensure secure, reliable, and mission-ready defense capabilities. They are foundational to maintaining military superiority and protecting national interests in an increasingly contested global environment.

PCBAA’s mission to “Educate, Advocate and Legislate” includes meeting with Members of Congress and executive branch officials to shore up funding for microelectronics. I encourage my fellow industry leaders to raise the issue with their elected representatives. A vital sector of the Defense Industrial Base is at risk, and policies prioritizing our national security must be matched by budgets that rebuild our national capacity.

We have an opportunity to influence the future of our industry in the year ahead. We welcome new members and new voices across our industry to support this very important mission. Learn more today at www.pcbaa.org.

This column originally appeared in the August 2025 issue of PCB007 Magazine.