The Defense Innovation Unit has unveiled Blue Manufacturing, an initiative aimed at revolutionizing defense manufacturing by facilitating collaborations between advanced technology firms and commercial producers.
DIU said Thursday the initiative is intended to support the Department of Defense in meeting emerging threats by encouraging the agency to adopt advanced manufacturing capabilities, with a more reliable supply chain, to provide warfighters an advantage.
Fostering Collaboration to Boost Production
Through Blue Manufacturing, advanced commercial manufacturers can connect with technology companies to develop and deploy commercial innovations for the defense sector. DIU intends to establish a reliable network of manufacturers adept in 3D printing, automation, high-rate production and other capabilities necessary to accelerate the manufacturing process.
DIU will create a pre-vetted catalog containing a roster of trusted manufacturing partners that can ramp up defense technology production.
The first group of manufacturing companies that will be included in the Blue Manufacturing Marketplace should be capable of small and large-format metal additive parts production, composite or ceramic additive, automated metal machining and forming, advanced post-processing, and 3D printed tooling. In addition, companies specializing in cyber, adversarial capital, supply chain risk and other advanced capabilities will be considered for the marketplace.
Doug Beck, director at DIU, remarked, “The Blue Manufacturing Initiative will focus on pairing the very best hardware and software manufacturers in defense technology with the very best advanced manufacturing providers to help both strategically critical industries to scale.”
Related Articles
The Senate on Thursday confirmed by voice vote Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton as the U.S. Space Force’s vice chief of space operations. According to a congressional notice, Bratton, who was nominated to the role in mid-July, will also be promoted to the rank of general. With his confirmation, Bratton replaces Gen. Michael Guetlein, who was named program manager for the Trump administration’s Golden Dome missile defense shield initiative. The GovCon Golden Dome conversation will be in full force at the 2025 Navy Summit in the lunch panel: “Supporting the Shield: Navy’s Role in the Golden Dome Architecture.” This industry-focused panel
Katie Arrington, a previous Wash100 awardee who currently performs the duties of the Department of Defense’s chief information officer, has released a memorandum to help DOD better manage risks facing its information and communications technology supply chain. In the June 5 memo, Arrington said she called for an update of the Requirements for the Acquisition of Digital Capabilities Guidebook concurrent with the Software Fast-Track, or SWFT, initiative development timeline. DOD Software Fast-Track Initiative In April, the acting CIO directed the establishment of the SWFT initiative to advance DOD’s adoption of best practices to transform the way it acquires, tests, authorizes
The Senate voted on Saturday 50-45 to confirm Paige Hallen Hanson as the next U.S. Environmental Protection Agency new chief financial officer. In her role, Hanson will manage EPA’s almost $100 billion allocation and its financial and resource management systems, the agency said in a Monday press release. Commenting on her appointment, Hanson said she was grateful to lead the EPA’s financial operations. “From budgeting to payments, performance measures to financial technology, the work of this talented team enables the critical mission EPA plays in protecting human health and the environment,” she remarked. Who Is Paige Hallen Hanson? Before her