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Additive manufacturing, biotechnology, microelectronics, hypersonics, renewable energy generation, storage, and other technological advances are critical to the US national security strategy, according to the Department of Defense.
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Advances in manufacturing capabilities to deter conflict or persevere in conflict are critically important to the US military if deterrence fails, according to Steven G Wax, Pentagon science and technology acting deputy chief technology officer.
“Not one of these critical technologies will succeed without advances in manufacturing. Very simply, if you cannot make it, you cannot have it,” he said in an address before the America Makes Members Meeting & Exchange.
“Additive manufacturing (3D printing), particularly, touches many of these critical technology areas including advanced materials, hypersonics, space technology, renewable energy generation and storage, directed energy, and microelectronics.”
Achieving the manufacturing advances needed to field these technologies is dependent on the close coordination and cooperation between the public and private sectors, he said.
A full list of 14 critical technology areas were previously outlined in the National Defense Science and Technology Strategy.
These included biotechnology, quantum science, FutureG, advanced materials, integrated network systems-of-systems, trusted artificial intelligence and autonomy, space technology, renewable energy generation and storage, microelectronics, advanced computing and software, human machine interfaces, directed energy, hypersonics, integrated sensing, and cyber.
The US Department of Defense previously launched the America Makes program in 2012 to collaborate industry, academia, government, and workforce efforts to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing in defence-related manufacturing. That program has a portfolio of 58 Department of Defense projects.
“America Makes is a vital partner to the DOD strategic development and implementation of additive manufacturing across the department,” Wax said.
“I’m proud of how far we’ve come in the past 11 years, and I’m looking forward to successful collaborations to come.”
The 2023 National Defense Science & Technology Strategy concluded the US faces challenges modernising defence science and technology as a whole, also facing sustained strategic competition from the People’s Republic of China.
The strategy contested that wherever the US Joint Force operates in the future, it should expect that the environment will be contested; and focus on identifying and investing in critical technology areas for the future.
