Washington, D.C. -- Right to repair advocates have a strong new ally in their fight — the U.S. Army.
Earlier this month, the world’s strongest fighting force announced it would secure the right to repair in any new procurement contracts and that it would seek to add similar provision to existing contracts. This would enshrine the right of Army personnel to repair its own equipment rather than being forced to procure the services of original manufacturers.
The move was announced to the public by U.S. Secretary of the Army Dan P. Driscoll on May 1. The policy transition was ordered by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
In an official memo to senior officers, the embattled ex-soldier asked senior officers to review existing contract terms limiting access software, data and tools required to repair existing equipment.
The decision is being celebrated by advocates for the right to repair.
In a statement, Isaac Bowers U.S. federal legislative director of the Public Interest Research Group, said: “The U.S. Department of Defense spends hundreds of billions of dollars to procure weapons and equipment from military contractors and are then subject to restrictions that leave them reliant on the manufacturer for repair. These repair restrictions include contractual provisions that void warranties if service members repair their own equipment and others that allow contractors to fully retain the intellectual property rights to operations, maintenance, integration and training data.”
The statement went on to describe the move as a “victory” for the right to repair movement that will save the Army billions of dollars -- and many thousands of man hours as well.
“This is a victory in our work to let people fix their stuff and a milestone on the campaign to expand the right to repair.”
