Hailing the House of Representatives for passing the fiscal year 2024-25 National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA), the National Council of Textile Organisations (NCTO) said the legislation contains provisions that support a strong domestic textile and apparel manufacturing industrial base and aims to expand procurement of American-made defense-related textiles.
It helps preserve the Berry Amendment supply chain and authorises the department of defense (DoD) to take steps to build up the defense textile stockpile.
The legislation directs DoD to be more transparent and disclose all waivers submitted for the procurement of defense textiles not made in the United States.
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In addition to supporting and expanding the critical Berry Amendment, which requires the Department of Defense to purchase cent per cent US-made textiles and clothing, the legislation includes two new key provisions important to the domestic textile industry.
It authorises the secretary of defense to establish pre-positioned stocks of defense textiles needed to support contingency operations, while requiring the secretary to develop a plan to mitigate delays in meeting the demand for a ramp up in defense textile articles.
It increases public transparency for domestic non-availability determinations (DNADS) on an annual basis, while requiring the under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment to develop and maintain a list of DNADs and share it with Congress and industry.
“We….urge the Senate to pass this critical legislation this year,” said NCTO president and chief executive officer Kim Glas in a statement.
“The US textile industry provides high-tech, functional components for the U.S. government, including more than $1.8 billion worth of vital uniforms and equipment for our armed forces annually. It is vital to America’s national security that the U.S. military maintain the ability to source high-quality, innovative textile materials, apparel and personal equipment from a vibrant US textile industrial base,” he added.
