The Biden admin Department of Defense is shooting down concerns over a project to install solar panels on the roof of the Pentagon. While there has been fears that the plan would make use of Chinese materials, the DoD is assuring Americans that Chinese materials would not be used in the project.
Speaking to Fox News, a spokesperson for the Pentagon said, “The DOD will not be installing Chinese-manufactured solar panels on the Pentagon. The Department adheres to the requirements of the Buy American Act in making clean energy, energy efficiency, and clean energy procurement decisions.”
According to the spokesperson, the Pentagon would be following the Buy American Act under a “rigorous and extensive oversight process to ensure compliance with the law, domestic preference and trade agreement partner statutes implemented by the Federal Acquisition Regulation and for DOD, the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement.”
“Looking to the future, the Department is leveraging its considerable purchasing power to support the ability of the U.S. carbon pollution free energy industry and related allied commercial supply chains to rapidly grow and provide resilient, diversified, clean energy generation to support our warfighters,” the spokesperson added.
The Pentagon’s explanation follows a letter that Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin wrote to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin last week. In the letter, Youngkin pointed out the “significant implications” the plan holds for U.S. national security should it make use of Chinese materials.
Governor Glenn Youngkin calls out the Pentagon's plan to invest in CCP-made solar panels:
"(C)ompanies highly influenced or controlled by the CCP dominate the global solar supply chain," making it vital that the Defense Department "require that military procurements for solar… pic.twitter.com/OVd1hDrTCq
— State Armor (@StateArmor) June 12, 2024
The Department of Defense announced the project in January, billing it as part of the Biden administration’s effort to promote clean energy and “reestablish the federal government as a sustainability leader.”
The panels include military installations like the U.S. Army Garrison in Wiesbaden, Germany. Thirty additional Defense Department sites are meant to receive the panels aside from the Pentagon.
Youngkin’s concerns with the plan stem from the fact that “companies highly influenced or controlled by the CCP dominate the global solar supply chain.” Hence, he warned that it is necessary for the U.S. to “require that military procurements for solar panels must come from verified domestic manufacturers with trusted supply chains.”