In an effort to address the growing supply-chain problems, President Joe Biden issued an executive order while at the Group 20 summit on Sunday.
The order will help speed up the response to shortfalls of supplies, equipment, and raw materials housed in the U.S. National Defense Stockpile.
The Pentagon's top weapons buyer will now be in charge of deciding whether and when to release raw materials from the National Defense Stockpile.
On Sunday, the White House also announced that the U.S. will also look to boost Mexico and Central America funding to help supply bottlenecks and improve customs and clearance procedures, Bloomberg reported.
The president spoke with reporters about what needs to be done in order to get the issues resolved.
"Solving this is going to take all of us — government and private industry, labor unions, and research institutions," Biden said while convening a meeting of international leaders in Rome.
The White House also announced that next year Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo would work with international counterparts, companies, labor organizations, and more to boost the supply chain in the future.
The U.S. supply chains were ordered to be reviewed by Biden after disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic caused shortages of products from computer chips to bicycles.
Now, according to a White House statement, the Pentagon's undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment
"may release strategic and critical materials from the National Defense Stockpile for use, sale, or other disposition only when required for use, manufacture, or production for purposes of national defense."
The National Defense Stockpile contains 42 commodities that are supposed to help decrease or prevent foreign dependence.
