Dear Editor,
The July 16 article on the inclusion of the Better Outfitting Our Troops (BOOTS) Act in the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) paints the legislation as a clear win for American producers. But what looks like a patriotic victory on paper risks becoming a costly burden for the very people the bill claims to serve: young service members and their families.
We all understand the need to strengthen the industrial base, yet the sad reality is our domestic bootmakers lack the capacity, time and taxpayer dollars to meet both peacetime and wartime needs. In a recent Defense Logistics Agency funded wargame, American boot manufacturers admitted that current annual capacity tops out at around 525,000 pairs, while surge demand would require nearly half a million more. Meeting that demand would require heavy taxpayer subsidies through the Defense Production Act, meaning longer waits, higher costs, and lower-quality products in the interim.
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The writing is already on the wall. According to Marine Corps Systems Command, nearly one in four of an American made boot sold at Marine Corps Exchanges were recently returned to the manufacturer due to quality issues.
For a 19-year-old private or a 23-year-old sailor, a replacement pair is not an abstract policy point—it is a bill competing with groceries, rent or childcare. Closing off affordable, high-quality options from trusted allies and partners under the Trade Agreements Act will only worsen the squeeze.
No one is calling for dependence on China. But the BOOTS Act goes further, banning even components from partners like Germany, Sweden, or the Philippines—countries that already supply U.S. forces with critical weapons and materials. Eliminating choice in the name of protectionism does not make our troops stronger; it risks making them poorer and less prepared.
Our service members deserve options, not monopolies. Congress (and the military’s industry partners) should rethink whether “buying American” at any cost is really the right way to support the warfighter, especially ahead of the future fight.
Sincerely,
Mike MacKay
Mike MacKay is a decorated U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran and Bronze Star for Valor recipient whose 23-year career spans special operations forces, the Pentagon, and Capitol Hill. He has served as a national security adviser in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, bringing deep expertise in geopolitical strategy, defense policy, and critical technology development.
