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author alone and do not represent the views of
nor reflect the official guidance or position of the
U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the
Department of the U.S. Air Force, or the Mitchell
Institute.
No. 56
September 2024
The Mitchell Forum
Microelectronics: Macro Impacts from Competition to Crisis
by Lt Gen Mark Weatherington, USAF (Ret.)
Introduction
e United States military elds a wide range of incredibly
sophisticated and capable weapon systems to foster peace and global
security. However the operating eectiveness of most of these systems
relies on a host of small components called microelectronics, which are
manufactured and supplied through a supply chain centered on the Pacic
and increasingly in China. Disruption of this fragile microelectronics
ecosystem would devastate our weapon systems and prove daunting to
our military forces and their readiness before or during a crisis.
Microelectronics are the small electronic devices that bring
many of our modern conveniences to life. Most people rst think of
the semiconductors and integrated circuits in their personal computer
or cellular phone, but there is a remarkable diversity in the types
of microelectronics and how they are used. e basic building block
starts with transistors, essentially on-o switches, that can change the
characteristics and performance of a device to create processors, RF
“[T]he erosion of U.S. capabilities in microelectronics is a direct
threat to the United States’ ability to defend itself and its allies.”
-Sujai Shivakumar and Charles Wessner
“Semiconductors and National Defense: What Are the Stakes?”
Figure 1: The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) explores
the the growth of oxide semiconductor materials such as
Gallium Oxide to address the need for smaller and higher power
electronics using a method called molecular beam epitaxy
Credit: AFRL, DVIDS
