Defense & Aerospace Report Defense & Aerospace Daily Podcast [Mar 18, 2026] David Schild on the Comeback Factories Securing America’s Tech Future
Mar 18, 2026
David Schild, executive director of the Printed Circuit Board Association of America and PCB industry expert, discusses the new film Comeback Factories and why printed circuit boards are strategically vital. He covers the full PCB supply chain, domestic reshoring challenges, policy tools like tax credits and Section 851, raw-material risks, and how faster, lower-cost PCB plants can help surge production.
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Chips Without Boards Is An Incomplete Strategy
- David Schild uses a sandwich analogy to show imbalance in U.S. industrial policy: CHIPS Act funds fabs (bread) but neglects printed circuit boards (the filling).
- He stresses PCBs are complex laminates of glass, copper and chemicals essential to microelectronics and national security.
Write Section 851 Rules To Force Domestic Sourcing
- Implement Section 851 rulemaking quickly to remove components from Russia, China, Iran and North Korea and create a clear demand signal for domestic sourcing.
- Schild argues audits and written rules are needed so primes and subcontractors can ensure origin surety for defense systems.
Offshoring Was Fueled By Foreign Subsidies
- Schild emphasizes offshore shifts were driven by foreign government subsidies, not pure market forces, where Asian governments subsidized factories and labor to capture market share.
- He frames industrial policy as necessary to match decades of subsidized foreign competition.