“A chain is only as strong as its weakest link” (Thomas Reid, 1786)

Economic shocks of the past two decades of the 21^st century, from the dotcom burst to 9/11 to the pandemic to semiconductor CHIPS, have pointed unanimously to a national emergence of attention to supply chains and their resilience. In the age of globalization, these chains are connected physically, digitally, and sustainably and operate repeatedly across geo-political boundaries. The asymmetric characteristics raise unprecedented challenges for the resilience of supply chains and for delivering a higher quality of life to citizens in a world with growing populations and shrinking natural resources per capita. The supply chains, manufacturing, operations, and industrialization for all critical sectors, such as aerospace, agriculture, defense, energy, healthcare and pharma, microelectronics and semiconductors, transportation, and logistics, and many more, connect all layers of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. These sectors of our economy meet all the sections of the National Academy of Engineering and NASEM at large.

As America started reshoring key industries, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is strategically focusing on this national urgency, “supply chains, their resilience, and reshoring” for the national infrastructure at the Annual Meeting Technical Forum. This is a call to action for the nation’s top engineers in businesses, government, and academia to come together and reimagine next-generation supply chains. They must deliver resilient infrastructure with efficiency as well as effectiveness in our globalized and fast-changing economy. The proposed reimagining emphasizes the application of new tools, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and human intelligence, to co-create new business models. Models where concepts such as, but not limited to, modularization, reconfigurable, distributed, points-of-need, digital equitability, frugal engineering, urban factories, roles of small and mid-sized manufacturers (SMEs) in the ecosystem, and other novel concepts must take the frontline as we advance and apply our new understanding of the world’s industrial linkages delivering resilience in decades to come. 

NAE will convene key thought leaders and executors from multiple business sectors, academia, and government to kick off this national dialogue. The event will host a collective experience of more than 200 years at the intersection of various supply chain factors, including manufacturing, operations, industrial, economic, and social. The dialogue will engage participants in vital conversations on the supply chain that will revitalize the U.S. job market and deliver a quality of life at the points of need on Earth and space. Leaders may also discuss combinations of digital, physical, and sustainable engineering tools and their accessibility and affordability. Subjects such as supply chain tech diplomacy, policies, education and workforce development, and new standards will also be of immense value to those involved.

Panel Members and topics include:

Digital-Physical Infrastructure: semiconductors, microelectronics, and AI
Darío Gil, IBM Research, Senior Vice President and Director, NAE Member 2024

21st Century Security Solutions for Supply Chain Anti-Fragility
Steven H. Walker, Lockheed Martin, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, NAE Member 2020

Advancing Healthcare Supply Chain in an Era of Opportunities
Taiyin Yang, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Executive Vice President (retired), NAE Member 2022

Transportation & Logistics: multimodal delivery, including last-mile deliveries
Russell Allgor, Amazon, VP, Chief Scientist, NAE Member 2021