Workshop Details

The COE COVID-19 Supply Chain Initiative

Because problems of supply chains are of such importance to DHS, the DHS Centers of Excellence (COEs) have a significant role to play. In this context, CCICADA is leading an initiative among the COEs on the COVID-19 supply chain, with collaboration from the Center for Accelerating Operational Efficiency (CAOE) and assistance of five other COEs. The first event of this initiative was a virtual meeting held May 12, 2020 including these seven COEs to discuss major issues involved in this supply chain. For copies of presentations at that meeting, see https://ccicada.org/2020/05/20/ccicada-organizes-coe-covid-19-supply-chain-meeting/
 

A key factor in the health of supply chains and the resulting economic stability of the country is the ability to identify, mitigate, and effectively and expeditiously recover from disruptions to supply chains. This problem becomes urgent because the country’s supply chains are dependent on global supply chains and because both the domestic and global supply chains can be targeted by malicious actors, forced to reconfigure due to geopolitical events, or, as in this case, disrupted by natural disasters. This urgency has led to the increasing importance of the issues of designing and managing supply chains that are resilient in the sense of being able to recover quickly from disruptions, finding strategies for efficiently and effectively restoring supply chains, and finding ways to protect supply chains from disruption without affecting the healthy flow of commerce. The issues apply to the present disaster, but also to how we can best prepare for future disasters.

This COE Initiative aims to: 1) identify tools and technologies that might be of help with the current pandemic; 2) identify key lessons learned from the current situation that will better prepare our supply chains for future disasters; and 3) identify areas where new tools and technologies can help us be better prepared for future disasters. It aims to take advantage of the varied skills and tools of the network of COEs to develop collaborative efforts in the future.

There are plans to expand the effort to include other COEs in future meetings and to include representatives of government agencies and the private sector in discussions.