This week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the United Kingdom's Department for Business and Trade, and Australia's Department of Industry, Science, and Resources established the United States-United Kingdom-Australia Supply Chain Resilience Cooperation Group to address threats to critical supply chains.
The group will develop an early warning pilot focused on the telecommunications sector. This sector, including satellite and subsea communications, is vital to the economic security of the three nations. The pilot program aims to identify and monitor potential disruptions in this sector, enhance global understanding of its vulnerabilities, and develop communication channels for sharing information and facilitating cooperative responses.
Telecommunications infrastructure is essential for public safety information distribution, emergency services, and daily life. For instance, undersea fiberoptic cables carry over 95% of transoceanic data traffic; without them, smartphones, financial networks, and communication systems would be unreliable.
"The resilience of our critical supply chains is a homeland security and economic security imperative," said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. "Collaboration with international partners allows us to anticipate and mitigate disruptions before they occur."
The U.K. and Australia are the first countries to formalize cooperation with DHS' Supply Chain Resilience Center through a Memorandum of Understanding. Established in 2023, the center analyzes supply chain vulnerabilities alongside federal partners and private sector stakeholders to mitigate potential disruptions.
The U.K.’s Economic Security and Supply Chain Resilience Directorate oversees efforts to mitigate supply-side risks to its economy. Australia's Office of Supply Chain Resilience focuses on mitigating supply chain vulnerabilities. These offices share overlapping missions with DHS regarding supply chain resilience issues.
"The United States has recently felt effects of supply chain disruptions around the world," said Under Secretary for Policy Robert Silvers. "By establishing the U.S.-U.K.-Australia Supply Chain Resilience Cooperation Group... we are setting the groundwork to anticipate supply chain disruptions."
"Strong supply chains are essential for our economic security," said U.K. Minister for Trade Policy Douglas Alexander. "Improved cooperation between our three nations will help us identify and mitigate disruption to supply chains."
The Supply Chain Resilience Center serves as a hub for key U.S. government and industry partners to anticipate potential supply chain disruptions.
