The Berry Amendment is a statutory requirement mandating that the Department of War (DoW) procure only US-produced textiles and apparel. It prohibits the use of DoW funds for purchasing food, clothing, fabrics, fibres, yarns, other made-up textiles and hand or measuring tools unless they are grown, reprocessed, reused or manufactured in the US.
The House NDAA, which establishes funding levels for the US military, includes several new reporting measures. These provisions instruct different Department of Defence (DoD) divisions to assess their use of waivers to the Berry Amendment, strengthen supplier verification and audit processes and consider actions to support the long-term health of the domestic defence textile sector.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The bill also directs the DoD to examine whether to narrow the small-purchase waiver from $150,000 to $20,000, both generally and specifically for textiles, and to investigate flame-resistant textile capacity as well as potential instances of non-Berry compliant Army service uniforms.
NCTO president and CEO Kim Glas said: “We applaud the HASC for passing the FY 2027 NDAA and including provisions that, if enacted, will lead to increased government purchases of more Made in America textiles and bolster domestic manufacturing and meet the mission-critical needs of our Armed Forces. We appreciate the leadership of Congressman Don Davis (D-NC) and Congressman Pat Harrigan (R-NC), co-chairs of the House Berry Amendment Caucus, who led efforts to strengthen Berry in the House this year.
“These provisions reinforce a simple but vital principle: America’s military should be equipped with American-made products whenever possible. Strong enforcement of the Berry Amendment helps ensure our armed forces have access to reliable, high-quality textile products while sustaining the domestic manufacturing base that supports military readiness and national security.”
Each year, the US textile industry reportedly supplies approximately $1.8bn of advanced textile materials and components to the country’s military.
According to Glas, the inclusion of the new reporting requirements signals that Congress recognises the importance of supporting a resilient domestic textile supply chain and demonstrates a commitment to its protection.
“NCTO looks forward to working with House and Senate lawmakers to ensure these provisions are included in the final FY 2027 NDAA and to advance policies that strengthen the domestic textile industrial base,” Glas added.
The NCTO, headquartered in Washington, represents companies throughout the US textile manufacturing sector.
Earlier this year, the organisation welcomed actions by President Donald Trump allowing the US textile industry to access Defence Production Act Title III investment funding.
