For government buyers and contracting officers, sourcing protective covers for defense equipment comes with a clear rule: the items have to meet domestic-source requirements under the Berry Amendment. Transhield manufactures our military covers in the United States, made to meet that standard. The sections below cover how our covers satisfy the Berry Amendment and protect defense equipment during storage.
What Is the Berry Amendment?
The Berry Amendment is a domestic-source law that requires the Department of Defense to buy certain items only when they are grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced entirely in the United States. It dates back to a 1941 appropriations act, became permanent law in 1993, and is codified in the United States Code at 10 U.S.C. § 4862.
The goal is national security: by directing defense dollars to American manufacturers, the law keeps American manufacturing and the domestic industrial base strong enough to supply the armed forces without depending on a foreign government for critical materials.
What the Berry Amendment Covers
The Berry Amendment requirements apply to specific categories of goods bought with DoD funds:
- Food
- Clothing and the materials and components used to make it
- Tents, tarpaulins, and covers
- Cotton and other natural fiber products, plus various textile fibers and made-up textiles
That third category is where equipment protection lives. Protective covers, tarpaulins, and the synthetic fabric and textile fibers that go into them are covered items, which means a cover bought with DoD funds has to meet the domestic-source standard. Unlike the Buy American Act, which sets a preference that still allows some foreign content, the Berry Amendment is a strict requirement with no partial-content allowance for the items it covers.
How Transhield Meets Berry Amendment Requirements
Transhield manufactures its military covers in the United States, so they meet the domestic-source standard the Berry Amendment sets for covered textile items. We have supplied protective solutions across the armed forces for years, and our team understands what defense procurement demands from a domestic source.
Here is how Transhield supports compliance:
- USA-made military covers: All of our military covers are manufactured in the United States, meeting the Berry Amendment’s domestic-source standard for covered items.
- Control over our materials: Transhield R&D team engineers, develops and specs the formulation of each substrate in-house; typically attaining patents, and manufactures the final fabrics on its lamination line in Del Rio, TX. Owning the production process from substrates to finished covers, makes documenting domestic origin straight forward.
- Proven defense experience: Transhield has served all branches of the armed forces, including aviation, ground forces, and naval applications, so our covers are built to defense expectations.
For a contracting officer, that control is what reduces compliance risk. Domestic sourcing depends on the materials, not just where a cover is sewn, so a manufacturer that controls its own raw materials and keeps a domestic supply chain removes a common point of risk on a DoD contract.
Protection Built for Defense Equipment
Meeting the Berry Amendment is the starting point. The covers also have to protect high-value defense assets through storage, and that is where Transhield’s engineering comes in. A three-layer system with patented adhesive that emits VCIs guards against the elements:
| Layer | What It Does |
| Outer layer | UV-resistant film that blocks sunlight and repels rain and snow |
| Middle layer | A hot-melt adhesive that can carry Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor (VCI) additives |
| Inner layer | A soft, non-woven material that wicks moisture away and protects finished surfaces |
For metal equipment, Vapor Corrosion Inhibitors work by maintaining a concentration of protective molecules in the space around the metal, forming a barrier that slows corrosion for as long as the cover stays in place. Covers containing VCI additives reduce corrosion by up to 95%, keeping military assets protected through long storage and harsh conditions.
Because each cover is built to fit a specific piece of equipment, there are limited gaps for moisture, dust, or debris, and the covers can be customized with access points, vents, and secure fastenings to match how the equipment is handled.
A Compliant, Dependable Source for Defense Covers
For government agencies and DoD suppliers, the Berry Amendment makes domestic sourcing a statutory requirement, not an option. Contracting officers and the Defense Logistics Agency expect clear evidence of domestic origin, so choosing a manufacturer whose covers meet that standard keeps Berry compliance on your contract straightforward.
Transhield has spent over 30 years building custom protective covers in the United States for military, industrial, and commercial customers. Our military covers are made in the USA, manufactured from fabric we produce ourselves, and engineered to protect your equipment in any condition.
Ready to source covers that support your Berry Amendment obligations? Contact Transhield today to discuss custom cover solutions for your defense application.