Department of Defense Awards 3M With $126 Million Contract to Increase Production of N95 Masks

Various N95 respiration masks at a laboratory of 3M, in Maplewood, Minnesota, U.S., on March 4, 2020. Nicholas Pfosi/Reuters, File Photo

The Department of Defense, in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services, has awarded multinational conglomerate corporation 3M a $126 million contract to increase production to 26 million N95 masks per month, starting from October 2020.

The Department’s Joint Acquisition Task Force (JATF) spearheaded the new contract with 3M, DOD spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Andrews said in a press release on May 6. Funding will be provided through the bipartisan $2 trillion Coronavirus Economic Stimulus Bill (CARES Act) signed into law by President Donald Trump in March.