“Operation Chain Reaction” Targets Counterfeit Goods in Federal Supply Chains
A report last year by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Technology Evaluation found that counterfeit electronics are present in troubling amounts in the Department of Defense supply chain.
Then, in March, the Senate Armed Services Committee launched an investigation into this growing problem.
Now, the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) has announced “Operation Chain Reaction,” a new comprehensive initiative to target the counterfeit and pirated goods entering the supply chains of the DOD and other US government agencies.
This is the first time that IPR Center participants have come together to collectively address the threat posed by fake parts in government supply chains. The list of IPR Center participants includes:
- US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
- US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Naval Criminal Investigative Service
- Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS)
- US Army Criminal Investigative Command, Major Procurement Fraud Unit
- General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General
- Defense Logistics Agency, Office of Inspector General
- US Air Force, Office of Special Investigations
In a press release, ICE revealed a few examples of recent investigations involving counterfeit products entering the federal supply chain. Check out these cases, which illustrate the need for immediate attention to this critically important issue: (more…)
