The Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) issued the Defense Trusted Integrated Circuits Strategy (DTICS) that established "Trust" as a minimum need for DoD in October 2003. Interim Guidance from the Office of Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (OUSD/AT&L, dated 27 January 2004) initiated development of policy that requires all Mission Assurance Category I systems (DoDI 8500.2) to "employ only trusted foundry service(s) to fabricate their custom designed ICs". As a result, the new vendor criteria issued to DoD Program Managers has increased the need for trusted parts and the subsequent expansion of the Trusted Foundry Program. The OUSD/AT&L, through TAPO and DMEA, has implemented an accreditation plan for design, aggregator/broker, mask and wafer fabrication, packaging and test services across a broad technology range for specialized governmental applications both classified and unclassified.
The Defense MicroElectronics Activity (DMEA) has been designated by the Department of Defense through the Trusted Access Program Office (TAPO) as the accrediting authority for this program.
