Tech Security
Manufacturers can prevent the Department of Defense from repairing certain equipment, which puts members of the military at threat.
By Elle Ekman
Captain Ekman is a logistics officer in the United States Marine Corps.
A few years ago, I was standing in a South Korean field, knee deep in mud, incredulously asking one of my maintenance Militaries to inform me again why he could not fix a broken generator. We needed the generator to support training with the United States Army and South Korean military, and I was generally unaccustomed to hearing anybody in the Marine Corps offer excuses for not efficiently getting a task done. I was stunned when his disappointed reply was, “Since of the guarantee, ma’am.”
At the time, I had not become aware of “right-to-repair” and didn’t understand that a civilian idea might affect my job in the military. The idea behind right-to-repair is that you (or a third-party you select) should be able to fix something you own, instead of being forced to rely on the business that initially sold it. This might involve not fixing something ( like an iPhone) because doing so would void a warranty; repairs which need specialized tools, diagnostic equipment, data or schematics not reasonably offered to customers; or items that are deliberately developed to avoid an end user from fixing them.
In the United States, conversations about right-to-repair concerns are increasing, particularly at federal firms and within particular industries. In July, the Federal Trade Commission hosted a workshop to address “the issues that arise when a maker restricts or makes it difficult for a customer or an independent repair work store to make product repair work.”
It has long been thought about an issue with the automobile industry, electronics and farming devices Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have even brought it up during their presidential projects, siding with farmers who wish to fix their own equipment; while the senators are promoting nationwide laws, a minimum of 20 states have considered their own right-to-repair legislation this year.
I initially heard about the term from a fellow Marine thinking about problems with monopoly power and technology A few previous experiences then snapped into focus. Besides the broken generator in South Korea, I kept in mind working at a maintenance system in Okinawa, Japan, viewing as engines were loaded up and delivered back to professionals in the United States for repair work since “that’s what the agreement states.” The process took months.
With every engine returned, Marines lost the chance to practice the abilities they might need one day on the battleground, where specialist assistance is inordinately costly, undependable or nonexistent.
I likewise remembered how Militaries have the ability to produce parts using water-jets, lathes and milling devices (in addition to more recent 3-D printers), however that these tools typically sit idle in maintenance bays together with broken-down military devices. Although parts from the maker aren’t offered to repair the devices, we aren’t allowed to make the parts ourselves “due to requirements.”
How pervasive is this issue for the most effective armed force worldwide? And what does it indicate for a military that is expected to operate in the most austere and hostile environments to not have the experience, training or tools to fix its own extremely technical devices?
These problems have numerous causes, from historic modifications in the United States economy, laws and rules embraced as part of military procurement reform and military-industrial base debt consolidations, which I consisted of in my remark(written with my associate Maj. Lucas Kunce) to the F.T.C. But the concerns mirror what occurred in the civilian sphere.
When it comes to the armed services, the Department of Defense from the 1940 s to the 1970 s substantially bought research and development and absolutely owned the right to fix the equipment it established. In the years because, much of the research and development has actually moved to the commercial sector; increasingly, the industrial sector establishes cutting-edge innovation that also has military usages, such as communication technologies, software application, satellite launches and drones.
To compound the impact of increasingly technical military systems, a brand-new set of political philosophies beneficial to business debt consolidation emerged in the 1970 s, leading to merger waves throughout the civilian sector. Strategists in the national security world responded by arguing that the Defense Department required to become a better consumer in order to have access to this commercially developed innovation. Subsequently, the department chose that it needed to be more cooperative, and less aggressive, when negotiating terms with industrial business that produce military devices or carry out services in support of the armed force.
In alignment with this new paradigm, policymakers simplified the Federal Acquisition Guideline in 1994 and 1995, exempting “ business products” from a large part of the rules (in addition to expanding the definition of what is a commercial item to include items that could be seen as specialized military items). Congress likewise encouraged federal companies to purchase industrial products “ to the maximum degree practicable” These changes fueled high rates of commercial purchases, which, coupled with debt consolidation in the defense industry, contributed to the Defense Department’s increased usage of industrial technology and the negotiation of single-source contracts.
Ultimately, the power characteristics shifted in between the Defense Department and business market, forcing the department to accept warranties, agreements or prices that it could formerly avoid– all thanks to modifications in research study and advancement financing, regulations and a lack of competitors.
The results of the right-to-repair paradigm will become only more substantial and limiting as older military vehicles and systems are replaced with devices that is more complicated and involving more electronic devices. Already complex equipment styles cause circumstances where the maker is the only source for repair work.
Thankfully, the F.T.C.’s workshop and market conversations are putting this problem on the radar. An option will need protection versus burdensome contracting routines for all Americans, whether farmers, iPhone owners or the Pentagon.
Fundamentally, service members simply wish to ensure that their equipment is prepared to meet objective requirements. While a broken generator or tactical automobile may seem like little concerns, the ramifications are much larger when a fight ship or a fighter jet needs to be repaired. What happens when those systems break someplace with minimal interactions or transport? Will the Department of Defense get stuck in the mud due to the fact that of a guarantee?
Capt. Elle Ekman is a logistics officer in the United States Marine Corps. The views expressed were made in her personal capacity and do not necessarily show those of the Marine Corps or the Defense Department.
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