Partner Larry Lasoff was in a Manufacturing & Technology News article titled, “Defense Department To The U.S. Specialty Metals Industry: We Don’t Need you.” The article discussed the Department of Defense’s (DOD) position on the U.S. special metals industry.According to DOD’s Strategic Materials Protection Board claims, specialty metals are not different than materials such as plastic, rubber and glass. DOD has acknowledged that reliable producers exist in other countries that can supply the U.S. military with its needs if the U.S. industry is not competitive . Taking the stance that “reliable access does not always necessitate a domestic source,” the department “wants to take full advantage of the competitive benefits offered by access to the best global suppliers; and to promote consistency and fairness in dealing with its allies, all the while assuring that an adequate industrial base is maintained to support defense needs.”

Mr. Lasoff was quoted in the article as saying, “We are in strong opposition to the findings of the report.” He went on to note that the real intent of the report is to provide DOD with the rationale for eliminating the Specialty Metals law requiring it to buy from U.S. producers, stating, “it means U.S. defense dollars will be used to support the expansion of the specialty metals industry in Russia and China at the expense of U.S. producers.”

Partner Larry Lasoff Quoted in Manufacturing & Technology News Article