
The defense industrial base is considered part of the United States’ critical infrastructure by the Department of Homeland Security, and as such has a “special responsibility” to maintain normal work schedules amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, according to a memo written March 20 by the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer. In the memo, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord told contractors to follow guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from state and local…