; (ii) appoint the members of the Task Force; and (iii) establish procedures regarding the operation of the Task Force, including by determining the frequency with which the Task Force shall meet. (2) Duties The duties of the Task Force shall be the following: (A) To identify critical vulnerabilities in the supply chains of products and resources that are essential to the economic security of the United States, focusing in particular on vulnerabilities that have been exacerbated by the COVID–19 pandemic. (B) To mitigate the vulnerabilities described in subparagraph (A) by developing plans for the following: (i) The formation of a National Manufacturing Guard, which shall be a reserve of industry volunteers who are trained and empowered to, in times of crisis, help manage manufacturing supply chains, logistics infrastructure, and workforce resources. (ii) The establishment of a Supply Chain Data Exchange, which shall support the National Manufacturing Guard described in clause (i) by providing real-time, centralized information on a national scale regarding, with respect to manufacturing supply chains, inventory, capacity, resources, and supply chain bottlenecks. (iii) The formation of a Technology Corps to serve as a workforce pipeline that prioritizes manufacturing skills that the Task Force and the National Manufacturing Guard described in clause (i) determine to be essential to the economic security of the United States. (C) In carrying out subparagraph (B)(iii), to pay particular attention to increasing educational and training opportunities for underrepresented minorities, women, and veterans. (3) Advice In carrying out the duties of the Task Force, the Task Force shall seek to obtain expertise from the public and private sectors, including from— (A) manufacturing extension centers created and supported under the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership established under section 25 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act ( 15 U.S.C. 278k ); (B) industry consortia and trade groups