{"id":27534,"date":"2020-03-20T15:40:10","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T15:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/03\/20\/america-should-use-a-wartime-law-to-mobilize-industry-against-the-pandemic\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:16:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:16:33","slug":"america-should-use-a-wartime-law-to-mobilize-industry-against-the-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2020\/03\/20\/america-should-use-a-wartime-law-to-mobilize-industry-against-the-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"America should use a wartime law to mobilize industry against the pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The president was right to sign an executive order this week invoking his authority under the 1950s-era Defense Production Act, or DPA, which can be used to mobilize production of health and medical resources needed to go to war against the new coronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, it would be a significant missed opportunity \u2014 indeed, public policy malpractice \u2014 if this broad and flexible set of powers and tools are put on the shelf, as the president has suggested, only to be used \u201cif we need to\u201d for a \u201cworst case scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather, in what is effectively a wartime situation, the Trump administration should immediately put the DPA to work now to aggressively and urgently ramp up of production<\/a> of critically needed items like masks, surgical gowns and ventilators and, just as important, grow our limited stockpiles and surge capacity for the possible 18-month path of the virus and future pandemics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a matter of longstanding U.S. policy to let the private sector fill urgent needs, especially in the civilian marketplace \u2014 and some companies, large and small, have clearly been stepping up to the plate. The urge to let market forces work and avoid the heavy hand of government in supply chain management is certainly consistent with our historic reliance on private enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here for complete coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, having declared a national emergency early this week in light of the enormous coronavirus threat, this is decidedly not the time for business as usual. If this isn\u2019t the \u201cworse case,\u201d as the president tweeted, it\u2019s close enough. There are demonstrated short-term shortages of needed health and medical resources \u2014 ranging from N95 respirators and other protective equipment to ventilators to test kits and hospital facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, as Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar recently told Congress, the national stockpile of medical supplies and protective equipment for use in emergencies is facing shortfalls, including respirator masks. Our industrial surge capacity \u2014 to ramp up production of key supplies for coronavirus and similar pandemics \u2014 is far too limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\t