If you work anywhere near defence procurement, programme management, or engineering support, you will have come across the acronym DMSMS. It appears in contracts, in risk registers, and in those emails from the supply chain team that nobody reads until something has already gone wrong.
But what does it actually mean? And why should you care about it, even if you never touch a soldering iron? This article is our guide to simplify what it means for anyone working in defence in the UK and defense in US.
DMSMS: The Definition Nobody Explains Properly
DMSMS stands for Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages. It is a term created by the US Department of Defense (DoD) and defined in their guidance document SD-22 as:
“The loss or impending loss of manufacturers of items or suppliers of items or raw materials.”
In simpler terms, DMSMS is what happens when the companies that make the parts your system depends on stop making them. The factory closes, the product line is discontinued, or the raw materials needed to build the component are no longer available.
This is not the same as general obsolescence, although the two are closely related. Obsolescence can happen because of regulatory changes, new design standards, or a shift in technology. DMSMS is specifically about the loss of supply. The part might still work perfectly well in your system, but you simply cannot buy it any more.
Why DMSMS Matters More Than Most People Realise
The core issue is a mismatch in timescales. Defence systems are designed to operate for decades. A fighter jet, a submarine sonar system, or a radar installation might be in active service for 30 to 40 years. Some platforms in the UK and US fleets have been operational for even longer than that.
The electronic components inside those systems, however, were built by commercial semiconductor manufacturers who operate on completely different timelines. A typical integrated circuit has a commercial production life of 3 to 7 years before the manufacturer moves on to something newer and more profitable.
This means that the parts your system needs will almost certainly be discontinued long before the system itself is retired. It is not a question of if this will happen. It is a question of when.
The Lifecycle Mismatch in Numbers
This table illustrates why DMSMS is such a persistent problem. The two industries are fundamentally working to different clocks, and the defence sector is always playing catch-up.
An American Term for a Global Problem
DMSMS is an American acronym, created by the US DoD and documented primarily in US defence procurement standards. If you are based in the UK, you might be more familiar with terms like “obsolescence management” or “component end-of-life,” which is what the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and organisations like the Defence Electronics and Components Agency (DECA) tend to use.
But the problem is identical. BAE Systems, Leonardo, Thales, and every other UK defence prime faces exactly the same supply chain challenges as their American counterparts. The semiconductor manufacturers that both markets depend on, companies like Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, and Microchip Technology, are global businesses that make global decisions about what to produce and what to discontinue.
The terminology difference can be a real barrier. If you are a UK procurement professional trying to search for guidance or solutions, searching for “DMSMS” will give you almost entirely US government documents written in a style that assumes familiarity with DoD processes and structures. That is one of the reasons we wrote this article: to bridge that gap and make the subject accessible to everyone who needs to understand it.
“DMSMS is not a problem you can solve from one side of the Atlantic. Our teams are regularly in Texas, Florida, and Georgia working directly with US partners and clients, because the semiconductor supply chain is global and the relationships that keep it moving are built face to face. Understanding how both the US DoD and the UK MOD approach obsolescence gives us a perspective that most companies in this space simply do not have.”
– Karen Salmon FIIOM FORCE TECHNOLOGIES, CEO at Force Technologies
What Actually Triggers a DMSMS Issue?
DMSMS issues do not appear overnight. They develop over time, and there are usually warning signs if you know where to look. Here are the most common triggers:
Product Discontinuance Notices (PDNs): This is the most common trigger. A semiconductor manufacturer issues a formal notice that a particular part number will be discontinued, usually giving between 6 and 12 months of lead time for final orders. If you miss the notice or cannot afford a lifetime buy, you have a DMSMS issue.
Sole source failure: Some components are only made by one manufacturer. If that manufacturer exits the market, changes ownership, or shifts production to different products, there is no alternative source available.
Raw material shortages: Certain older semiconductor processes require specific materials that may become restricted under environmental regulations like RoHS or REACH, or simply become uneconomical to source.
Fabrication facility upgrades: When a semiconductor manufacturer upgrades a fabrication plant to produce smaller geometry chips, the older processes that your legacy components depend on are decommissioned. The equipment is often dismantled or sold, making it impossible to restart production.
Regulatory and standards changes: New environmental directives or updated military standards can render existing components non-compliant, even if they are still technically available from the manufacturer.
How is DMSMS Resolved? The Six Standard Approaches
The US DoD’s SD-22 guidebook identifies six standard resolution strategies for DMSMS issues. Each has its place, and the right choice depends on how critical the component is, how much budget is available, and how long the system needs to remain in service.
The key point is that there is no single correct answer. Most DMSMS management programmes use a combination of these strategies depending on the urgency and the specific component involved.
The Hidden Danger: DMSMS and Counterfeit Components
There is a direct and well-documented link between DMSMS and the counterfeit component market. When a genuine part becomes unavailable through normal supply channels, demand does not simply disappear. Procurement teams still need the component, and that unmet demand creates a market for counterfeit or fraudulently marked parts.
The US Senate Armed Services Committee identified this connection in a landmark investigation that found over one million suspected counterfeit parts in the DoD supply chain. Many of these entered the system specifically because genuine parts were no longer available through authorised channels.
This is why authentication testing to standards like AS6081 (fraudulent/counterfeit electronic parts avoidance) and AS6171 (test methods for suspect/counterfeit parts) is such a critical part of any DMSMS resolution strategy. It is not enough to simply find a part. You need to verify that the part is genuine, functional, and safe to install in a mission-critical system.
At Force Technologies, authentication testing is one of our core services. Every component that passes through our facility is tested to the highest standards, because in the world of obsolete semiconductors, the risk of encountering counterfeit product is significantly higher than in the general market.
Proactive vs Reactive: The Costly Difference
Research from CALCE (the Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering at the University of Maryland) has consistently shown that proactive DMSMS management costs significantly less than reactive management. The reason is straightforward: if you identify a DMSMS risk before the part is actually discontinued, you have time to plan a lifetime buy, qualify an alternative, or begin a redesign at a manageable pace.
If you wait until the part is already unavailable, your options narrow dramatically. Lifetime buys are no longer possible. The aftermarket price for remaining stock will have increased sharply. And if no stock exists at all, you are looking at either emulation or redesign, both of which are expensive and time-consuming.
Proactive management means establishing a DMSMS Management Team (DMT), monitoring your Bill of Materials (BOM) against manufacturer lifecycle data, and responding to Product Discontinuance Notices (PDNs) the moment they are issued. It also means having relationships with specialist companies who can provide solutions when standard procurement channels fail.
In the UK, the challenge is often compounded by the fact that many defence programmes inherit component lists from the original equipment manufacturer without visibility of the underlying supply chain risks. By the time a DMSMS issue is discovered, it may have been building for years.
How Force Technologies Supports DMSMS Resolution
Force Technologies has been solving semiconductor obsolescence problems for over 38 years. We are based in Wiltshire, UK, but our work spans both sides of the Atlantic because the semiconductor supply chain is inherently global.
Our services cover four key areas of DMSMS resolution:
Upscreening to MIL-STD-883: We take commercial or industrial grade components and subject them to the full range of military qualification testing, including burn-in, temperature cycling across the -55°C to +125°C range, and electrical characterisation. This allows components that are still commercially available to be qualified for use in military and aerospace systems.
Custom re-creation and design: When no existing component will do the job, we design and manufacture a form, fit, and function replacement. Our design processes are conducted in accordance with AS9100 Rev D and DO-254 (for airborne electronic hardware), and we guarantee long-term production support that outlasts the original manufacturer’s commitment.
Authentication testing: Every component we handle is tested to the required sandards. This is not optional. In a market where obsolete parts carry a significantly elevated counterfeit risk, rigorous authentication is essential.
Long-term controlled storage: For lifetime buy quantities, we provide environmentally controlled storage facilities that maintain component integrity over extended periods. Proper storage is often overlooked, but semiconductors degrade if held in incorrect conditions, and a lifetime buy is only valuable if the parts still work when you need them.
DMSMS is not a niche problem for specialists. It is a fundamental challenge that affects every defence programme that relies on electronic components, which in 2026 means virtually every defence programme in existence.
The good news is that it is a manageable problem, provided you approach it proactively rather than waiting for a crisis. The tools, standards, and specialist partners exist. The question is whether your organisation is using them effectively.
If you would like to discuss how Force Technologies can support your DMSMS management, or if you simply have questions about semiconductor obsolescence, we are always happy to talk.