US Navy releases inaugural Advanced Manufacturing Strategy
Focusing on additive and subtractive manufacturing, cold spraying and directed energy deposition and coatings removal, robotics and automation, data analytics, and advanced machining
The US Department of the Navy (DoN) has released its inaugural Advanced Manufacturing Strategy – focused on the use of innovative technologies to fabricate, repair, rework, or reverse engineer parts or components. These include additive and subtractive manufacturing, cold spray and directed energy deposition and coatings removal, robotics and automation, data analytics, and advanced machining.
“The leveraging of these cutting-edge innovations will allow the Navy and Marine Corps to maintain dominance,” said Nickolas H. Guertin, PE Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition. “The Department will continue to expand advanced manufacturing efforts in order to deliver lethal and affordable capabilities to the warfighter at the speed of relevance.”
The strategy contains three lines of effort to expand the DoN’s capabilities. The first line of effort seeks to harness cutting-edge commercial capabilities for strategic advancement. The second and third lines of effort focus on expanding organic capabilities, modernizing depots, and strengthening warfighter self-sufficiency. The DoN will work with industry and academia to use, invest in, and implement advanced manufacturing in the design and production process, and integrate these modern processes into the supply chain.
“Forging strong partnerships with commercial manufacturers and collaboration with private-sector entities offers the Department access to cutting-edge technologies, innovation, and efficiency,” said Erica Plath, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Sustainment.
Additionally, the DoN has identified five primary cross-cutting enablers to deliver advanced manufacturing at scale across all lines of effort, including governance, manufacturing technology maturity, standards, digital architecture, and workforce development.
“When properly resourced and applied, advanced manufacturing has the potential to provide a critical capability to the United States Marine Corps in garrison and to support forward-deployed units. Access to digital data rights is required to enable advanced manufacturing to provide the correct parts at the correct specifications to enhance material availability and support requirements at multiple points of need. If properly applied, advanced manufacturing increases the resiliency of the logistics network across the spectrum of day-to-day support and conflict,” said BGen Forrest Poole, Assistant Deputy Commandant Logistics Plans Policy and Strategic Mobility (LP) HQMC.
The full text of the Department of the Navy Advanced Manufacturing Strategy can be found here.
