For Building and Strengthening Product Support
by KARLA K. O’CONNOR
Additive Manufacturing (AM) is becoming an essential enabler of a robust Product Support Strat- egy. Let’s step through the basics to consider inserting AM in your product support strategy and highlight areas where AM can deliver the greatest value.
AM (also known as three-dimen- sional [3D] printing) is a process of joining materials to make parts from three-dimensional model data, usu- ally layer by layer. The American Soci- ety for Testing Materials defines seven fundamental AM processes. Each pro- cess utilizes different materials and types of 3D printers. To understand more on these processes, check out the AM article posted to Acquipedia , a website hosted by the Warfighting Acquisition University (WarU), and/ or WarU’s Video Course on AM for Business Leaders . The Department of War (DoW) also utilizes another term “AdvM” (Advanced Manufacturing) to refer to
the application of new technologies to create or improve products or pro- cesses. Within this framework, AM is considered a subset technology. Why You Should Care AM plays a pivotal role in the U.S. military strategy for Warfighter mis - sion readiness. Through rapid pro- totyping, on-demand production of critical components, and enhanced equipment sustainability, AM enables mission readiness in contested logis- tics environments. It also allows for localized manufacturing, reducing dependence on lengthy supply chains and supporting mission readiness by
producing spare parts wherever and whenever needed to strengthen War- fighter self-sufficiency. At its essence, AM can build and strengthen supply chain resiliency. Chartered formally under the Joint Defense Manufacturing Council, the Joint Additive Manufacturing Working Group (JAMWG) is the primary focal point for AM collaboration in the DoW. The JAMWG provides a robust forum and structured framework for lead- ership in AM investment and activity coordination departmentwide, with the goal of improving the design and sustainment of warfighting systems and capabilities.
32 DEFENSE ACQUISITION MAGAZINE | MARCH – APRIL 2026
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