Supply Chain Aware Zero Trust Using NextGen PKI

Ever since the United States moved the vast majority of its chip production offshore, thus began an erosion of U.S. advanced chip manufacturing. Today over 90% of the advanced chips that the DoD requires for advanced weapons systems and other key items are manufactured by two companies, TSMC in Taiwan and Samsung in South Korea. China has stated if hostilities break out with the U.S., they must seize TSMC!  China has a national imperative to manufacture more of its own microchips, and is taking small, but purposeful steps to carve out more and more of the microchip supply chain. China believes if it can control more of the chip supply chain, then they can control eventual access to advanced technologies such as weapons systems and those technologies needed for Artificial Intelligence. China has earmarked an investment of $71 Billion into their chip industry. China also pressures any foreign manufacturers that they must turn over their intellectual property by law.  One of the main issues with microchips made in China is how can the DoD verify the Root of Trust of these chips? They can and will get into the supply chain directly or through front companies not just with the consumer electronics that the DoD purchases as COTS products, but with vehicles and advanced weapons systems. China can fabricate a microchip Root of Trust and spoof a software Certificate Authority (CA). This means the hardware and software in the supply chain is very vulnerable. This is such a serious issue that in June 2021 the White House issued Executive Order 14017, a 250-page report entitled, “Building Resilient Supply Chains, Revitalizing American Manufacturing, and Fostering Broad-based Growth.”  With experience and expertise in this subject area, SecureG is poised to help the DAF and the DoD address these pressing challenges. The SecureG team has extensive work in 5G integration, including Securing the 5G Services Base Architecture with Naval Base Coronado (NBC) that incorporated Zero Trust Architecture and Provenance - Device Chain of Trust.