DoD Manufacturing Technology Program

United States manufacturing and innovation are essential to American economic and national security. Maintaining U.S. influence and access to markets in a stable global environment contributes to our prosperity and standard of living. It is the responsibility of the Department of Defense (DoD) to innovate and equip our forces with the best tools possible. The DoD Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) enterprise uses advanced manufacturing to execute the National Defense Strategy priorities – defending the homeland, deterring strategic attacks, deterring aggression, and building a resilient Joint Force and defense ecosystem.

Overview

DoD ManTech Program was originally created in 1956 under Section 2521 of Title 10, United States Code (USC) to further national security objectives through the development and application of advanced manufacturing technologies and processes.

The mission of the program is to reduce the acquisition and supportability costs of defense weapon systems and reduce manufacturing and repair cycle times across the life cycles of such systems.

DoD ManTech is composed of the Military Service and DoD Agency (or "Component") investment programs operated out of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD).

The OSD ManTech Office is responsible for administering the DoD ManTech Program by providing central guidance and direction to the Component ManTech Programs. Along with providing oversight to DoD ManTech, the OSD ManTech Office also manages two investment portfolios: the Manufacturing Science & Technology Program (OSD MSTP) and DoD Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (DoD MIIs).

The vision of the program is a responsive world-class manufacturing capability to affordably and rapidly meet Warfighter needs throughout the defense system life cycle.

Although DoD ManTech has a singular mission and shared strategic vision, all of the projects and initiatives are selected and executed through the Military Services and DoD Agencies. Each Component has its own ManTech program, with organization-specific processes, mandates, and procedures for executing their projects:

Army ManTech Program is executed through the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology (ASA(ALT)) with support from the science and technology (S&T) community, Program Executive Offices, and Army Organic Industrial Base;
Navy ManTech Program is managed under the Office of Naval Research and is executed through the Navy ManTech Centers of Excellence;
Air Force ManTech Program is managed by the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Materials & Manufacturing Directorate and partners with industry, other government agencies, and academia;
DLA Research and Development (R&D) is managed under Defense Logistics Agency J6 Chief Information Operations and has a multi-faceted approach to promote R&D business solutions to industry, academia, and small business by awarding multi-year competitive awards, posting Broad Agency Announcements (BAA), leveraging Other Transaction Authority (OTAs) and teaming with the ManTech Service Components and whole of government partners for cost share and savings; and
OSD MSTP utilizes annual proposal calls based on predetermined, joint-application investment areas. Because OSD MSTP is executed through OSD ManTech Office within the Office of Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), the program also seeks to leverage and collaborate with the DoD MIIs whenever possible.

The directors and senior managers of these programs coordinate through the auspices of the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel (JDMTP). The JDMTP is chartered to identify and integrate requirements, conduct joint program planning, and develop joint strategies. DoD oversight of the ManTech Programs is provided by the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

NOTE: The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is a research and development organization with a challenging acquisition function for missile defense. As the MDA works to meet the ever-evolving threat, the MDA is moving to an ex-officio membership that better aligns the Agency to DoD activities. The MDA will continue participation in the JDMTP and the manufacturing technology community.

Strategy

The 2022 DoD ManTech Program Strategic Plan focuses on four thrust areas for the next five years. It provides the basis for the coordination of DoD Service and Agency ManTech efforts and provides plans to our stakeholders, other government entities, industry, and academia.

Guided by nine goals under the four thrust areas, the DoD ManTech enterprise focuses on delivering high-priority solutions across the portfolio of manufacturing technology investments to meet defense manufacturing needs:

Thrust Area 1: Advance Manufacturing Technology

Goal 1.1: Identify and prioritize manufacturing technology or capability gaps to meet Service and Agency missions
Goal 1.2: Advance the state of manufacturing maturity and enhance production and sustainment

Thrust Area 2: Strengthen Joint Planning and Coordination

Goal 2.1: Define national needs and technology imperatives
Goal 2.2: Identify and prioritize multi-Service or -Agency DoD manufacturing gaps via Joint Manufacturing Planning Initiatives
Goal 2.3: Develop tailored management and investment approaches

Thrust Area 3: Expand Outreach and Communication

Goal 3.1: Foster alignment with external stakeholders to address manufacturing gaps and bolster supply chain resiliency
Goal 3.2: Disseminate program results throughout the industrial base to enable transition

Thrust Area 4: Educate and Develop Manufacturing Workforce

Goal 4.1: Identify current and future education and workforce requirements for the DoD organic and industrial base
Goal 4.2: Strengthen the educational pipeline and develop a next-generation manufacturing workforce

DoD ManTech employs an array of management tools, measures, and metrics to guide the program and ensure results. In short, this strategic plan explains how the DoD ManTech Program enables swift technology transition from concept to successful fielding.

DoD ManTech Organizational Chart

Successes

Click here for the latest DoD ManTech Success Stories book.