objective of this audit is to assess the effectiveness of the DoD’s management of the Microelectronics Commons, the DoD’s national network for microelectronics research and development. We may revise the objective as the audit proceeds, and we will also consider suggestions from management for additional or revised objectives. We plan to perform this audit in accordance with the Government Accountability Office’s generally accepted government auditing standards.

We will perform the audit at the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division. We may identify additional locations during the audit.

We request that you designate two points of contact for this audit within 5 days of this memorandum. One point of contact should be a Government employee—a GS-15, pay band equivalent, or military equivalent—who is knowledgeable of the Microelectronics Commons. The second point of contact should be a member of the Senior Executive Service or a General/Flag Officer who is familiar with the Microelectronics Commons and could serve as a point of engagement with DoD Office of Inspector General senior leaders, if necessary.

The Inspector General Act of 1978, 5 U.S.C. §§ 401-424, as amended, authorizes us to have access to personnel and materials as we determine necessary to perform our oversight in a timely manner. You can obtain information about the DoD Office of Inspector General from DoD Directive 5106.01, “Inspector General of the Department of Defense (IG DoD),” April 20, 2012, as amended, and DoD Instruction 7050.03, “DoD Office of Inspector General Access to Records and Information,” November 13, 2024. Our website is www.dodig.mil.