FLEETWERX and NPS CAMRE launch distributed manufacturing demonstration at Trident Warrior 25

The partnership between FLEETWERX and the Naval Postgraduate School’s Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education (CAMRE), in coordination with the Trident Warrior 25 fleet experiment, the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, and industry collaborators, is executing what the organisations describe as the largest distributed manufacturing demonstration ever undertaken by the Department of Defense (DoD).

At the heart of the exercise is the joint advanced manufacturing cell (JAMC), a mobile manufacturing team enabling deployed personnel to produce mission‑critical parts using 3D printing, CNC machining and augmented‑reality tools. The demonstration spans over 8,000 miles and across two continents, linking production assets in theater with reach-back facilities to underscore how distributed production can reduce logistics burdens and accelerate repair and sustainment operations. The exercise supports naval and joint warfighting readiness in the Indo‑Pacific region under the direction of Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific.

Industry‑academia‑military collaboration

More than 200 participants from over 25 organisations are contributing technologies and expertise. Members include:

• Aura Technologies (Durham, North Carolina), which supplies a cyber-secure digital transmission device (TrustedDM) to deliver technical data packages (TDPs) to untrusted machine tools anywhere in the world, enables battlefield or naval units to manufacture replacement parts without relying on traditional logistics channels.
• FormAlloy Technologies, Inc. (San Diego), which is demonstrating automated, laser‑based metal repair and additive manufacturing of components such as landing‑gear or propulsion‑system parts.
• Overmatch, Inc. (Plano, Texas), delivering artificial‑intelligence and augmented‑reality training tools that train sailors and Marines in advanced manufacturing skills more rapidly.
• Pillir (Chandler, Arizona), showcasing a tablet application that enables maintenance teams to locate and allocate critical parts even when offline, supporting operations in signal‑denied zones.
• Solideon (Berkeley, California), demonstrating a robotic, wire‑arc additive‑manufacturing (WAAM) system capable of producing large‑scale metal components with shorter lead times and enhanced structural performance.
• Stratasys Ltd. (Minnetonka, Minn. & Rehovot, Israel) is contributing polymer‑based additive‑manufacturing solutions and on‑demand reach‑back production via Stratasys Direct. According to the company, the JAMC connected assets across 8,000+ miles and allowed printing of parts in theatre or back‑end facilities, reducing reliance on traditional supply chains.
• Additional contributors include Philips Additive, Spee3D, Dynovas, Firestorm Labs and nScrypt, which bring technologies for circuit‑board repair, unmanned delivery systems and advanced metal and polymer printing.

Moving advanced manufacturing into the field

CAMRE Director Garth Hobson stated, “Advanced manufacturing has enormous potential to transform how we sustain and adapt naval capabilities in contested environments… We are committed to moving the needle on operational advanced manufacturing – not in the future, but now.”

FLEETWERX spokesperson Morgan Bower added, “This is about giving warfighters the tools to solve problems in real time, using emerging technologies that improve readiness and resilience. The Joint Advanced Manufacturing Cell is proof that distributed sustainment can be implemented today to give our warfighters the tools to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”

During the exercise, public‑private teams produced real parts for operational systems, supporting a force that must remain agile, ready and lethal. Data collected during this large‑scale proof‑of‑concept will guide future acquisition, development and deployment of advanced sustainment technologies across the Department of Defense.