The main objective of the JAMWG is to maximize the value the military obtains from AM by aligning strategy, fostering collaboration, leveraging resources, and providing guidance enterprise-wide for AM investments and implementation. Guidance is provided in DoD Instruction 5000.93, Use of Additive Manufacturing in the DoD . Military departments, services, and defense agencies have provided strategies, implementation plans, and various supplementary guidance, including Department of the Air Force Instruction 63-149, Use of Additive Manufacturing ; Marine Corps Order 4700.4, Additive Manufacturing Policy ; DON [Department of the Navy] Advanced Man- ufacturing Strategy ; Army Directive 2025-14, Advanced Manufactured Parts Certification Au- thority ; and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Additive Manufacturing Implementation Plan , to name a few. Employable Areas and Possible Impacts The Life Cycle Sustainment Plan (LCSP) is the primary program man- agement document detailing prod- uct support planning and execution throughout the life of the system. The current LCSP Outline Version 3.0 calls out “Additive (Advanced) Manufacturing” in paragraph 5.3, Cross-Functional Sustainment Considerations. This section should address how AM can enhance supply chain resilience and reduce sustainment costs by enabling on-demand production of replace- ment parts. When you incorporate AM, you must also consider the impacts of AM across all integrated product support elements. The following provides a high-level look at some of those con- siderations. Product support management. Though AM can be the best value and ensure you have a resilient sup- ply chain, additional costs for post or secondary processes as well as in- spection and quality assurance may be needed. Additionally, creating digital 3D model data, if it does not yet exist, can be a considerable cost. Certainly, maintenance costs of or-
ganic 3D printers should also be con- sidered as printer parts and software will need to be replaced and updated. Supply support. Issues with Dim- inishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages affect materiel readiness and operational availabil- ity that then affect both combat op - erations and safety. AM, however, can enable organizations to produce pro- totypes, parts, fixtures, tools, and var - ious other items. AM has emerged as a way to reduce both lead times and in- ventory costs by printing on demand. Contracting for AM may range from one-off transactions to long-term pro - duction. These contracts may include transfer of data to enable government production or contract production. Document ID DI-SESS-82465, Required Manu- facturing Process Description (for Additive MFG) provides manufacturing criteria necessary to properly manufacture an item using an AM process and equip- ment and is part of the Technical Data Package. Packaging, handling, storage and transportation (PHS&T). Producing parts on demand and close to the de- mand location can reduce or bypass time-consuming transportation, stor- age, and customs procedures. Logis- tics delay time may significantly change the requirement for PHS&T. Maintenance planning and man- agement. AM production of a fixture, guide, trim tool, drill template, or gauge can increase maintainability and decrease cost and lead time. It may even reduce the risk of damag- ing a weapon system or part. Print- ing specialized tools, jigs, and fixtures can improve readiness by making
applicable maintenance procedures simpler and easier to perform. Design interface. AM offers unpre- cedented freedom in design to con- solidate assemblies, reduce weight, improve durability and strength, and create complex internal geometries to enhance performance. Safety and hazardous material requirements must be considered in requirements for AM operations to include personal protective equipment. Sustaining engineering. An AM- produced part can improve weight and strength over a traditionally man- ufactured part, and this may affect an item’s reliability and maintainability. Therefore, AM may prove to be a vi- able engineering change proposal, particularly for items with complex geometries. AM may also provide potential solutions to combat oper- ational hazards, deficiency reports, parts obsolescence, corrosion effects, and reliability degradation. Technical data. To produce an item through AM, 3D technical data are needed. DLA hosts the Joint Addi- tive Manufacturing Model Exchange, a universal approach to storing and sharing 3D model technical data packages and metadata across the DoW. Once captured, the 3D techni- cal data can be shared with the entire DoW community. When paying a contractor to de- velop an AM part, the U.S. Govern- ment should acquire (usually un- limited) design technical data and appropriate rights. If the U.S. Gov- ernment pays a contractor to de- velop a method for manufacturing an AM part, we should obtain appro- priate technical data and data rights
AM offers unprecedented freedom in design to consolidate assemblies, reduce weight, improve durability and strength, and create complex internal geometries to enhance performance.
MARCH – APRIL 2026 | DEFENSE ACQUISITION MAGAZINE 33
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