By Brian S. Goldstein, Yuanyou (Sunny) Yang, J. Manly Parks and Nathan B. Reeder
On May 15, 2019, President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 13873, "Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain" (Federal Register Vol. 84. No. 96, page 22689-92).
Supported by various laws and regulations, the president determined that the United States' information communication technology systems are increasingly under threat from "foreign adversaries," defined as "any foreign government or foreign non-government person engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States or security and safety of United States persons." These systems and services are targets for "malicious cyber-enabled actions, including economic and industrial espionage" as they "store and communicate vast amounts of sensitive information, facilitate the digital economy, and support critical infrastructure and vital emergency services."