US Senator Warren investigates defense groups' opposition to 'right to repair' By Reuters
by Jody Godoy
(Reuters) – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren asked defense industry groups how much their members make on contracts that cover replacement parts and equipment, backing away from her opposition to a bill that would give the U.S. military a “right to repair” their equipment. .
Warren asked the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) and three other industry groups in a letter Wednesday how much money they have spent seeking to oppose a provision included in the Senate's proposed 2025 defense spending bill.
Top defense contractors, including Boeing (NYSE: ), Lockheed Martin (NYSE: ), Raytheon (NYSE: ) and General Dynamics (NYSE: ), are among the group's members.
The provision would require contractors to provide the Department of Defense with “fair and reasonable access” to parts, equipment and instructions, in an effort to avoid costly and time-consuming efforts to seek repairs from proprietary service providers that Warren says reduces military readiness.
“Restrictions on the right to repair waste taxpayer dollars and put service members at risk,” Warren wrote, adding that members of the military stationed around the world, including active combat, “must not rely on a company thousands of miles away.” to repair broken equipment.
The advent of 3D printers has made it possible for the military to make and repair many of their parts in the field. But in most cases original equipment manufacturers reserve the right to remove field-engineered parts to charge for replacement – or to mandate that original parts be installed while the equipment is not in use.
The NDIA, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Aerospace Industries Association, the Professional Services Council and others wrote to the US Senate and House Armed Services Committees in July, saying the “right to repair” provision was unnecessary and would discourage their members from selling the – DOD.
Warren rejected that assertion in his letter to the three groups, citing public examples of costs and delays caused by contracts that required military members to wait for authorized repair services and, in some cases, ship engines from Japan back to the US. rather than repairing them on site.
A Democratic senator from Massachusetts also wrote to the DOD, asking for more examples and how it has affected its work and budget, and asked if the agency would want to implement a rule allowing the transfer of intellectual property developed using federal research funds.
Warren asked the parties and the agency to respond by October 11.
