Supply Chain: Manufacturing Defense Articles

After an organization goes through the process of “Registering” with the DDTC, one question that is often asked concerns the aerospace supply chain and the flow-down of manufacturing defense articles. Here is one example:

Question: Since we are an AS9100 registered company and we must follow customer requirements, if a customer directs us to use a specific supplier (a customer approved supplier) who is NOT DDTC registered, should we proceed with the flow-down of defense articles to that supplier?

Answer: Your customer cannot authorize your firm to violate the ITAR.