Global tensions drive defence supply chain scrutiny
The UK Royal Navy Kraken K3 Scout USV was found to contain location-tracking firmware made in China. (Photo: Royal Navy/Crown Copyright)
Governments worldwide are scrambling to decouple defence supply chains from dependency upon strategic rivals, but countries could struggle to do it all themselves.
From 1 October 2026, China will begin surveying its defence supply chains under a revised National Defense Mobilization Law to ensure they remain secure, and will push officials to take measures to improve defence self-reliance.
The new law, which was passed on 28 August, means Beijing joins a growing number of countries mapping supply dependencies in their defence sectors, amid a growing movement towards more self-reliance in many capitals. These include China’s main competitors in Western countries, where concerns about reliance on China-based suppliers were put under the spotlight this year after Beijing imposed export controls on multiple Japanese firms that it claimed supplied
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