Remember standing in stores staring at empty shelves where masks, sanitizer, and toilet paper should have been? That scene revealed a profound national vulnerability hiding in plain sight. America had lost the ability to supply itself with essential items during a crisis.
Dr. Erick Jones Sr. witnessed this unprecedented logistics breakdown from a unique vantage point as a Jefferson Science Fellow at the U.S. State Department. His observations about our fractured supply chains shocked even seasoned experts and continue to reshape how we think about national security today.
The Great Outsourcing Gamble That Left America Defenseless
American companies gradually transferred production of vital medical supplies overseas, creating a dangerous weakness. Jones discovered a startling reality: “Many companies that originated in America have evolved into global enterprises, optimizing their supply chains to the point where most sourcing occurs outside the United States.”
The consequences proved immediate and severe when the pandemic hit. Jones explains: “During the pandemic, we discovered we couldn’t obtain critical resources like masks, sanitizer, and medical needles without relying on global suppliers. This dependency placed our country at significant risk, a vulnerability that had previously gone unrecognized.”
Suddenly, Americans couldn’t access basic protective equipment. Hospital workers reused masks designed for single use. Hand sanitizer disappeared from shelves nationwide. Government officials confronted an uncomfortable reality: we had sacrificed security for savings.
Why Brilliant University Research Never Made It to Hospital Floors
Universities develop innovative solutions that sometimes fail to reach the manufacturing floor. Companies need immediate answers while researchers plan for tomorrow. During COVID, this disconnect—what Jones calls the “Valley of Death”—meant potentially life-saving technologies remained trapped in laboratories while hospitals struggled.
Jones explains his perspective: “I believe I offer a unique perspective on the complete innovation pipeline—from basic science to applied sciences and engineering, then to commercialization and prototyping, and finally to mass production. This encompasses what NASA and the DOD refer to as Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). My experience has given me insight into various aspects of what’s known as the ‘economic cliff’ in technology development.”
Promising research at technology readiness levels 1-3 struggled to transition to industrial application (levels 4-6). Jones describes this later as “the Valley of Death, where Academia hands off a product to industry, and industry now puts additional investment in so it gets to market.”
The systems designed to transfer knowledge from universities to companies moved at normal speed during a crisis that demanded rapid deployment. Potentially helpful innovations remained stuck in academic institutions when they could have addressed critical shortages.
When Scientists and Politicians Failed to Speak the Same Language
Technical experts and policymakers struggled to communicate effectively during crucial decision moments. Dr. Erick Jones Sr observed during his work with the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) a significant “gap in policy and technical understanding.”
Communication needed to focus on broader impacts rather than technical details. Jones articulates: “It’s not about the technical details of the technology itself, but rather how it will transform markets, drive innovation, and create employment opportunities in communities worldwide.”
Jones experienced this communication breakdown while contributing to the White House’s five-year manufacturing strategy in 2021. “While our approach was previously domestically focused, the reality of global supply chains required us to adopt a more international perspective and policy framework. When we cannot secure certain goods from global sources, we ultimately cannot supply our own domestic markets in the United States,” he states.
The pandemic demanded seamless integration of technical expertise and policy considerations. Without effective translation between these worlds, decision-making suffered at precisely the moment rapid, informed choices mattered most.
The Technical Standards Nobody Cared About Until Everything Broke
Supply chain standards and certifications – seemingly bureaucratic details in normal times – became critical during the pandemic. Dr. Erick Jones Sr, who heads ISCEA’s International Standards Board, notes that “standards are now cool again.”
He elaborates: “With its implementation at retail points of sale, there’s significant momentum to update and adopt these standards. Specifically, regarding RFID standards, the 1D barcode has been phased out, leaving us with 2D barcodes and maxi codes as the current technologies.”
These technical standards connect directly to broader supply chain resilience: “The integration of these technologies coincides with supply chains being reorganized due to sustainability concerns and tariff considerations—creating something of a perfect storm. For this transition to succeed, whether we call it re-globalization or reorganization, we must establish standardized inventory tracking systems. This explains why standards have become critically important in today’s global supply ecosystem.”
Without common standards for tracking goods, managing inventory, and ensuring quality, global supply chains couldn’t function effectively during the crisis. These low-key technical specifications suddenly became mission-critical when systems began breaking down.
How Smart Tags and AI Might Prevent The Next Supply Catastrophe
RFID technology combined with artificial intelligence offers promising solutions for creating more resilient supply chains, according to Dr. Erick Jones Sr. These technologies provide the visibility and adaptability that proved woefully inadequate in 2020.
“AI has to get data from somewhere,” Jones points out. “RFID is the perfect complement to AI as it autonomously collects data. When items are tagged at the beginning of the supply chain cycle, this technology enables multiple applications—from tracking inventory in transit and monitoring transportation to integrating with availability models. Beyond logistics, we’re now seeing its implementation in retail environments through point-of-sale systems.”
Jones sees tremendous potential in this technological pairing: “RFID is the ideal inventory tracking tool for populating databases, while AI excels at extracting insights from that data—whether through machine learning, generative AI, or other advanced models. As an autonomous and invisible data collector, RFID creates databases that AI can analyze to make informed decisions. I believe this combination creates a perfect technological partnership.”
Such technologies could address the visibility gaps that plagued pandemic logistics, allowing companies and governments to locate critical supplies quickly and anticipate shortages before they become crises.
Why Solving Supply Chain Crises Requires Every Discipline at the Table
The pandemic demonstrated that supply chain challenges cannot be solved from a single perspective. Jones describes his interdisciplinary approach: “As an industrial engineer, I engage as a systems engineer who examines the entire ecosystem—including environment, people, opportunity, and technology—as an integrated whole.”
His pandemic experience expanded this view: “When approaching a problem, I focus on understanding four key areas: environment, people, technology, and increasingly, politics—which manifests as executive policy. I view these elements as an integrated system rather than isolated components. Before my experience at the U.S. Department of State and the pandemic, I significantly underestimated the importance of politics in shaping policy decisions.”
This shift toward seeing supply chains as complex socio-technical systems represents a crucial lesson from the pandemic. Future resilience requires expertise from engineering, public health, economics, international relations, and many other fields working together coherently.
Moving forward, Jones suggests countries need to “develop strategies to secure resources for critical needs that the United States might face during future pandemics or other global crises.” This approach doesn’t require complete reshoring of all manufacturing but demands strategic consideration of which products are truly essential during emergencies.
The COVID-19 supply chain collapse forced a fundamental rethinking of global trade structures. Through his experience across industry, academia, and government, Dr. Erick Jones Sr provides both diagnosis and potential remedies for the logistical failures that left Americans struggling to find basic necessities when they needed them most.
