US government 'faces 1000s of high-risk suppliers'

Almost 10,000 suppliers to the US government were reported for suspected involvement in fake parts and other activities last year, a report found.

The figure represents an increase of two-thirds over 2002 levels, although it is down on the peak of 2007. In total close to 80,000 high-risk suppliers to the US government were reported over the 10-year period, IHS reports.

"It is abundantly clear that supplier risk is real, extensive and growing. Pinpointing probabilities of risk, blacklisting and vetting high-risk suppliers is crucial to developing a resilient supply chain," said Vicki Knauf, parts logistics expert at IHS.

US government agencies have begun fighting back. In 2007 NASA began work on standardised practices to cut the risk of sourcing counterfeit parts. Earlier this year the US Defense Logistics Agency ramped up its efforts by requiring DNA authentication on the microcircuits it procures.

Applied DNA Sciences is providing its DNA-based anti-counterfeiting technology to the initiative. The US defense agency is implementing the requirement to stop counterfeit microcircuits from being used in critical weapon systems.