March 20, 2024

Hicks Again Makes Case for Strengthening Industrial Base, Eliminating Continuing Resolutions

The Pentagon, Congress and the industrial base must work together to deliver combat-credible capabilities to the warfighter at speed and scale to deter aggression and win if called on to fight.

Oct. 12, 2023

Assistant Secretary for Science & Technology Visits DOD Manufacturing Institutes

Dr. Steven Wax, performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology, recently concluded a visit to two of the Department of Defense's nine Manufacturing Innovation Institutes. The visit included both the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute/BioFabUSA and Advanced Functional Fabrics of America.

July 24, 2023

DOD Establishes Assistant Secretaries of Defense in the Office of the Under Secretary for Research and Engineering

WASHINGTON — On July 12, the Department of Defense announced the establishment of three new Assistant Secretary of Defense positions, along with eight Deputy Assistant Secretaries of Defense, in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. The ASDs will replace the role of Deputy Chief Technology Officer.

Sept. 14, 2022

New Biotechnology Executive Order Will Advance DoD Biotechnology Initiatives for America’s Economic and National Security

September 14, 2022 — The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering welcomes the Biden Administration’s announcement of Executive Order (EO) “Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy.” This EO will bolster efforts by the Department of Defense (DoD) and other Federal agencies to ensure U.S. economic and national security by leveraging biotechnology to secure, strengthen, and diversify our domestic manufacturing supply chains of critical goods, products, and services.

June 30, 2022

DOD Accelerating Innovative Technologies, Enabling Manufacturing Workforce

DOD's Manufacturing Technology Program drives the advancement of critical manufacturing technologies that support national security and grows manufacturing ecosystems that underpin U.S. supply chains.

June 15, 2022

Congressional Action Can Help DOD Weather Microelectronics Supply Crunch 

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill can help the Defense Department make it through supply shortages for microchips and microelectronics both now and into the future, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen H. Hicks said.  

April 20, 2022

DOD aims to close gap in bringing U.S. tech innovation to market

WASHINGTON — With the U.S. currently responsible for only about 12% of global microelectronics production, the Defense Department-led "microelectronics commons" aims to close the gaps that prevent the best ideas in technology from reaching the market.

April 4, 2022

Pentagon's Top Industrial Base and Nuclear Defense Leader Tours Critical Materials Sites and Defense Labs

In support of the Defense Department's focus on increasing domestic production of critical materials, a senior DOD official visited key production sites and defense laboratories during a recent west coast trip.  

Dec. 6, 2021

DOD Must Act Early to Extract Much-Needed Tech From Nation's Industrial Base

America's technology companies make a lot of great products and DOD must get in early and let these companies know what it needs to secure what’s valuable to warfighters, a defense official said.

Nov. 24, 2021

Air Force Research Lab working to develop future workforce

Ensuring a steady supply of technical and scientific expertise for American industry and innovation has been a national priority since about 1957 when the Soviet Union launched its first Sputnik. Today, however, with the increasingly rapid pace of high technology, the need to attract young people to the field of advanced technical manufacturing has become even more critical. To meet that need, the Air Force Research Lab recently tasked NextFlex with finding ways to attract students who might not otherwise consider such a career path.