US Department of Defense in Dilemma over Huawei Equipment and Exemption Seeking

TapTechNews July 4th news, according to Bloomberg, the US Department of Defense is in a dilemma: on the one hand, a law in 2019 prohibits US government agencies from contracting with companies using Huawei equipment; on the other hand, Huawei is the world's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer and is deeply rooted in many countries, making it almost impossible to find an alternative.

The Pentagon has been seeking an exemption to bypass the restrictions of Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019. They believe that this restriction will seriously affect the Pentagon's ability to procure various logistical supplies such as medical supplies, drugs, and clothing. A former Pentagon official said, The original intention of this act is good, but it does not fully consider the difficulties and actual impacts at the implementation level, and in some countries, it is simply impossible to avoid Huawei equipment. If this problem is not solved, it may endanger national security.

However, so far, the House and Senate committees responsible for legislation in the US have not added exemption clauses in the upcoming National Defense Authorization Act for 2025.

TapTechNews noted that the US previously pressured the UAE to remove Huawei equipment, and because the latter refused, the country's agreement to purchase F-35 fighter jets was stranded. Similar situations have also occurred in Saudi Arabia and some Latin American countries. Some countries believe that the US and its allies cannot provide more competitively priced alternatives.

Some people with a hardline stance against China criticized the Pentagon for not being aggressive enough, believing that they should use their huge procurement scale to force relevant enterprises to make changes.

However, the Pentagon insists that the exemption is crucial, which will ensure the smooth progress of important supply missions in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and Africa. The US military personnel's work in many places depends on the Huawei network, such as special forces on African missions and senior Pentagon officials attending the Paris Air Show.

The Pentagon spokesman said that the exemption will only be used for procurements that are in line with US national security interests, and the intelligence community will continue to be restricted. The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee also acknowledged that an exemption may be needed in some cases, but he did not disclose a specific timeline.