America’s Supply Lines Need Some Attention

Americans typically have little reason to worry about the supply of goods and services: Whatever they want or need, the market provides, often to their doorstep. They give scant thought to the increasingly complex and global network of commerce — the planning, capacity, transportation and trade deals that ensure raw materials, parts and finished products get to the right place at the right time. For the most part, it all just works.

The coronavirus crisis put that pleasant illusion to the test, triggering panic buying and disrupting supply chains around the world. In many ways, the market responded admirably, as producers scrambled to get everything from toilet paper to pasta back on shelves. But in crucial areas — notably the face masks and testing supplies needed to protect people and control the pandemic — the system buckled badly, and has yet to recover.