From BAE Systems  

May 1, 2025 – BAE Systems received a $172 million full-rate production (FRP) contract to produce 30 additional Amphibious Combat Vehicles (ACVs) as part of the recently awarded FRP 5/6 contract.   

  

The FRP 5/6 contract includes a series of options to produce up to 150 vehicles. The U.S. Marine Corps exercised the initial option last month for 30 vehicles, valued at $188.5 million.   

  

BAE Systems is also currently under contract for the ACV-Personnel and ACV-Command variants. Work on the ACV-30mm will take place in York, Pennsylvania; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; and Charleston, South Carolina through the fourth quarter of 2026.   

  

From Airbus U.S. Space & Defense and Shield AI 

WASHINGTON (April 30, 2025) — Airbus U.S. Space & Defense and Shield AI announced a teaming agreement to integrate Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy software on the Airbus MQ-72C Logistics Connector, an unmanned variant of the UH-72 Lakota. The collaboration will expand the platform’s mission capabilities through autonomy-enabled operations across a wide range of logistics and operational scenarios—including those under the U.S. Marine Corps’ Aerial Logistics Connector (ALC) program. 

Under the agreement, Airbus U.S. Space & Defense and Shield AI will test Hivemind autonomy in collaboration with Airbus’ Helionix, advancing the future autonomous mission capabilities of the Marine Corps. The level of autonomy will be scaled during future test activities and demonstrations, ultimately leading to unmanned operations in contested logistics environments. 

“The Lakota is a proven multi-mission platform that is ready to support unmanned operations in austere environments,” said Robert Geckle, Chairman and CEO of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense. “Pairing our aircraft with next-generation autonomy software opens new mission possibilities for the warfighter and allied forces worldwide.”

The effort will continue to evolve missionization over the next several years, ultimately enabling more advanced levels of autonomous flight across the Marine Corps and broader Joint Force. 

“Airbus is a world-class partner with a strong track record of delivering reliable systems for the warfighter,” said Ryan Tseng, CEO of Shield AI. “The Lakota has been a mainstay of military aviation for years—a widely-fielded, trusted platform used across a range of missions. Integrating Hivemind onto this aircraft shows how autonomy can rapidly enhance proven systems to meet the demands of today’s missions, and it’s a key step toward fully autonomous, uncrewed logistics operations that are scalable, resilient, and built for the future fight.” 

The Airbus U.S. team is entering the second year of the Aerial Logistics Connector Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) Rapid Prototyping Program, which aims to provide the service with aircraft prototypes to demonstrate capabilities to the warfighter through a series of operational demonstrations and experiments. 

The Aerial Logistics Connector effort is one of several efforts across the Department of Defense to deliver logistical support in distributed environments during peer or near peer conflicts. 

YORK, Penn. — April 29, 2025 — BAE Systems has been awarded a $188 million full-rate production contract from the U.S. Marine Corps for 30 ACV-30mm vehicles, which includes fielding support, spares and test equipment. This is the first award as part of the FRP Lot 5/6 contract. 

The ACV-30 includes an integrated medium caliber Remote Turret System which the government is procuring separately and integrating at Naval Information Warfare Integration Center Atlantic. The ACV-30 enables transport of troops, mission essential equipment, and other payloads, while providing the lethality and protection Marines need. The lightweight turret system also ensures platform mobility is preserved.  

“The ACV is tested and proven to be incredibly adaptable – it not only swims, but it’s also optimized for ship-to-shore, island-hopping, and advanced land operations,” said Rebecca McGrane, vice president of Amphibious programs at BAE Systems. “With enhanced direct-fire lethality via the 30mm fully stabilized weapon system, the ACV-30 helps to ensure Marines are ready for any mission, land or sea.”  

In addition, BAE Systems is currently under contract for the ACV-Personnel (ACV-P) and ACV-Command (ACV-C). The ACV-P variant has the ability to transport 13 combat-loaded Marines plus three crew, while the ACV-C variant provides multiple workstations for Marines to maintain and manage situational awareness in the battle space.  

The company is also building three ACV-Recovery (ACV-R) variant Production Representative Test vehicles which will provide field maintenance, recovery, and repair capabilities to the Assault Amphibian companies in support of the Marine division.  

Work for the ACV-30mm will take place in York, Pennsylvania, Johnstown, Pennsylvania and Charleston, South Carolina through the third quarter of 2026. 

From BlastOne International 

BlastOne International and US Marines Base Partner to upgrade Surface Preparation Facility with Robotic Blasting to Skyrocket Efficiency, Safety, and Performance for Amphibious Assault Vehicle Repair 

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 29, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — BlastOne International is proud to announce its latest partnership with the US Marine Corp base in Albany Georgia to upgrade their existing blast facility with a state-of-the-art robotic blasting system. This groundbreaking initiative is designed to revolutionize the surface preparation of armored amphibious assault vehicles prior to being re-coated. This investment will bring cutting-edge automation, efficiency, and safety to the coating facility at the US Marine’s base, reinforcing BlastOne’s commitment to innovation and excellence in industrial surface treatment. 

By integrating robotics into their blasting process, the US Marine Corp are eliminating inefficiencies, enhancing safety, and dramatically improving quality—all while reducing operational costs for Amphibious Assault Vehicle Repair 

Project Overview 

The Albany, Georgia, project will feature a fully integrated robotic blasting system, leveraging the latest in automation and abrasive recovery technology to streamline operations while reducing costs and environmental impact. The project includes: 

• B20S7 Gantry-Mounted Blast Robot – An 8-axis robotic system capable of processing up to 2,150 square feet per hour, ensuring precision and consistency in surface treatment. 

• BP1400 Robotic Blast Pots – A dual-chamber design allowing for continuous blasting without downtime for refilling. 

• Advanced Abrasive Recovery System – Including a robot-rated bucket elevator, airwash system, and storage hopper, optimizing abrasive recycling and reducing material waste. 

• 150HP Abrasive Vacuum System – A heavy-duty industrial vacuum designed specifically for harsh blasting environments, ensuring a clean and efficient workspace. 

• Turnkey Installation & Engineering Support – BlastOne will provide comprehensive project management, engineering, and installation services, ensuring seamless integration and long-term success. 

Driving Industry Innovation 

“This partnership with the US Marines is a testament to BlastOne’s mission of providing superior performance in surface preparation,” said Brad Gooden, Director at BlastOne International. “By integrating robotics into their blasting process, we are eliminating inefficiencies, enhancing safety, and dramatically improving quality—all while reducing operational costs.” 

Since the 2018 National Defense Strategy reoriented the Joint Force toward great power competition, China — our primary pacing threat — has accelerated its military modernization and ramped up coercive behavior across every domain. Nowhere is this more evident than in the First Island Chain, where Beijing’s revisionist ambitions collide head-on with our strategic interests. In this contested space, logistics is no longer a rear-area task — it’s a frontline risk. If a capability can’t be produced or pre-positioned inside the theater, there’s a real chance it won’t reach the warfighter at all.

The vast distance between the First Island Chain and the U.S. power base, combined with China’s expanding anti-access/area denial arsenal, or A2/AD, has turned the supply chain from a guaranteed support function into the modern battlespace’s Achilles’ heel.

Mitigation of this new reality demands a shift in power projection, deliberate global pre-positioning to set the theater and a sustainment strategy that keeps our platforms and support systems agile, resilient and ready for a fight over thousands of miles of unforgiving waters, from the U.S. homeland to dispersed Pacific archipelagos. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal outlined one plausible scenario, a strategic naval blockade of Taiwan, which makes the need for agile logistics and forward-positioned capabilities even more urgent.

When imagining the future fight, the battlespace transforms into a clash across a sprawling maritime theater with dispersed stand-in forces using interior lines and an intricate web of logistical support. The battlespace will be persistently monitored — defined by constant intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; autonomous systems; electronic warfare; degraded communications and navigation; and a menu of A2/AD capabilities that limit freedom of maneuver. These conditions fundamentally alter how Marines must think about and execute logistics.

Russia and Hamas targeted their enemies’ homelands. China has also targeted the U.S. homeland, sending a signal that the United States and other vital points will not be off-limits from cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, strategic lines of communication, mobilization assets and weapon system vendors to disrupt forces and supply flows. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a recent Wall Street Journal report revealed that Chinese officials privately acknowledged their role in cyberattacks against U.S. infrastructure, admitting to years of intrusions into the computer networks of American ports, water utilities, airports and other critical targets.

In the vast expanse of the First Island Chain, Marines — along with the joint force and partner nation forces — operate today as dispersed, agile nodes, deliberately scattered to complicate enemy targeting and reduce signature detection.

Marine Corps Systems Command’s Program Manager Combat Support Systems is actively developing and fielding a suite of capabilities that redefine logistics support in a contested landscape. Guided by the modernizing principles behind the force restructuring plan Force Design, we’re building integrated systems where every innovation meshes and enables the Marine Air-Ground Task Force commander to counter threats and disruptions in real time.

To understand the task at hand, picture a system where every logistics capability supports the kill web. Deployable Logistics IT is a powerful enabler, ensuring asset visibility of medical supplies both in the continental United States and with forward units. Condition-Based Maintenance Plus applies machine learning to enhance decision-making by alerting commanders to maintenance issues and enabling timely resolution to prevent degradation in operational readiness. The Electronic Maintenance Support System equips Marines with diagnostic and networked tools to isolate and troubleshoot faults. Once a fault is diagnosed, Marine fabricators can use advanced manufacturing (3D printing) to produce replacement parts at the point of need in theater — mitigating potential disruptions to the supply web. Signature management capabilities cloak emissions of individual warfighters while the use of netting veils command and control nodes and larger equipment sets.

Meanwhile, an overhauled, more deployable medical support system extends care well beyond the traditional golden hour, ready to stabilize and treat casualties for longer durations, and provides surgical capability in smaller and more adaptive packages. Together, these interlocking capabilities transform potential disruptions into rapid recovery opportunities, sustaining warfighter survivability deep inside the weapons engagement zone and ensuring our forces remain agile and resilient — even when the logistics web itself is under stress.

The sections that follow highlight a few key elements of our integrated logistics capabilities that keep our dispersed Marines one step ahead in the contested Indo-Pacific battlespace.

Advanced Manufacturing

As aggression and the likelihood of kinetic operations increase, we can expect China to shape operations to affect stand-in forces, disrupt reinforcements deploying from the continental United States to the Pacific, and target the supply chain and commercial vendors once considered protected within the bastion of the homeland. With every link in the supply chain vulnerable, rapid field repairs are essential to sustain operations. The PM CSS is reimagining advanced manufacturing to enable on-demand repairs and critical parts production directly in the field. This technology was tested in real-world scenarios: During Rim of the Pacific 2024, a combined team of Sailors and Marines used metal and polymer 3D printers to print critical components like reverse osmosis pump parts and lot-pressure air fittings aboard ship, keeping the amphibious transport dock USS Somerset (LPD 25) in the fight.

Today, our advanced manufacturing units are forging bonds with partner nation forces by fabricating parts to support Indo-Pacific Command hosts such as Australia, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan. By integrating advanced hybrid-metal and liquid metal jetting technologies into containerized, expeditionary fabrication units, Marines are reshaping the traditional supply chain model — one that often begins in or flows through CONUS and may prove untenable in the opening phases of conflict. This capability pushes manufacturing to the edge, enabling rapid, theater-level production and reducing reliance on vulnerable long-haul logistics.

Complementing this capability, the Digital Manufacturing Data Vault prototype serves as a secure repository to store, process and share technical data packages and digital drawings, ensuring that military and allied industrial partners can rapidly produce required components on demand. This comprehensive approach not only shortens supply chains but also helps keep forces mission-capable, even in the most austere and contested environments.

EOD and Combat Engineering

Explosive threats are one of many A2/AD tools China could throw at us to reduce freedom of maneuver. Explosive ordnance disposal and combat engineering capabilities are being overhauled to meet the demands of a high-threat A2/AD environment. The Littoral Explosive Ordnance Neutralization capability is tailored for coastal environments and littoral transition points, ensuring effective neutralization of explosive threats from very shallow water, from surf zones and on to the beach. For EOD, the LEON capability consists of five increments of equipment: remotely operated vehicle, personal dive equipment, uncrewed underwater vehicle, uncrewed surface vehicle and amphibious underwater ground vehicle.

The Stand-off Defeat of Explosive Hazards family of systems seeks to deploy advanced sensors and ground-penetrating radar for standoff detection via uncrewed air and ground vehicles, keeping Marines out of harm’s way. The integrated sensors and auto-target recognition will identify threats and communicate across the tactical network. Together, these integrated solutions empower our EOD and combat engineer teams to swiftly and safely counter explosive threats, ensuring Marines remain protected and mission-capable in the most contested environments. The LEON and SDEH capabilities are a toolkit to increase mobility for commanders and ensure a path for maneuver into theater and intra-theater for forces and supplies.

Expeditionary Medical Systems

As kinetic threats escalate, expeditionary medical capabilities become essential to sustaining Marine forces. Credible medical care gives Marines confidence to go into harm’s way. The Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations concept created a new paradigm in many log functions, and medical is at the front of the line for modernization. The “golden hour,” a term coined during the Global War on Terror to describe the decisive period following an injury and casualty evacuation, is no longer the mantra. Now the focus is on sustaining 96-hour patient care hold times due to the distance between units and the overall contested environment. The PM CSS is facilitating that strategy shift by fielding modular, lightweight systems such as damage control resuscitation and damage control surgery. Distributed Marine units are equipped to deliver life-saving trauma interventions directly in austere environments where traditional evacuation routes and timelines could be unsupportable.

Complementing these innovations, advanced medical devices like the Expeditionary Portable Oxygen Generation System and Expeditionary Medical Refrigeration Unit ensure reliable access to medical-grade oxygen and blood products, even when power is reduced or unsupportable. Concurrently, a pilot modernization effort is underway within the 1st Marine Logistics Group Medical Logistics Company Warehouse. The goals are to provide a garrison and deployable capability with radio-frequency identification scanning, a dashboard for medical asset visibility and a decision support tool that can aid in deployment and ordering optimization — saving taxpayer dollars on wasted supplies and reducing labor requirements. These integrated solutions ensure Marines receive uninterrupted, advanced medical support, dramatically enhancing survivability and sustaining lethality deep within contested zones.

Uniforms and Signature Management

Operating in the contested Indo-Pacific — especially within the First Island Chain — requires our Marines to obscure sophisticated enemy sensors across multiple spectrums. Our Ultra-Lightweight Camouflage Net System sets a new standard in electromagnetic battlefield concealment by reducing signature in the visual, infrared and radar bands. Designed for rapid deployment by a small team, ULCANS effectively masks vehicles, artillery and personnel, ensuring operational stealth in dynamic environments. Building on this breakthrough, next-generation clothing articles are in development that incorporate advanced technology to mitigate near- to long-wave infrared signature. These innovations and enhancements elevate traditional uniform products from an era of visual concealment using standard textile industry practices to advanced production capabilities that provide Marines with tools to enhance survivability and lethality on an increasingly multidomain transparent battlespace, ensuring tactical superiority.

Beyond these core innovations, the PM CSS is advancing a suite of complementary capabilities that enhance a resilient logistics web. Our power modernization initiatives reduce fuel demands and streamline mobile energy solutions. Meanwhile, digital tools like CBM+ and automated test systems ensure commanders maintain real-time situational awareness, enable diagnostics and rapid maintenance, and support circuit card repair in theater — keeping equipment in the First Island Chain and reducing wasteful efforts to return gear to higher echelons of maintenance in CONUS or to rely on today’s overstressed supply chain.

Uncrewed aircraft systems with computer vision for airfield recon, deployable ICD-705-compliant shelters, augmented-reality-aided navigation, bridging, polymer ammunition and lighter, integrated personal protective equipment further ease logistical burdens and increase lethality. Together, these building blocks — designed to support the EABO concept — strengthen the distributed, logistics network needed for a future fight in the contested Indo-Pacific region.

While these capabilities do not regularly make headlines, they are the critical elements to enabling the EABO concept and strategy in general. Each innovation, whether in rapid field repairs, extended medical care or next-generation stealth textiles, forms an integral link in our resilient kill and logistics webs, ensuring dispersed Marines remain agile and ready for any threat or challenge.

Colonel Paul Gillikin, an infantry and special operations officer, is the program manager for Combat Support Systems at Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Virginia.

From General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. 

SAN DIEGO – 23 April 2025 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. is proud to announce that the U.S. Marine Corps has passed more than 1,000 flight hours with MQ-9A unmanned aircraft in support of service-level training exercises and weapons and tactics instructor courses. This accomplishment involved a combined aircrew of dedicated Marines and GA-ASI personnel, highlighting the seamless integration and operational effectiveness of the MQ-9A platform within the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) and the MAGTF Unmanned Expeditionary (MUX) Program. 

These demanding exercises showcased the advanced capabilities of the MQ-9A by integrating cutting-edge technologies such as the SkyTower networking support pod, Automatic Identification System, latest-generation Lynx^® multi-mode radar and various other tactical networks and capabilities. The joint teams successfully conducted satellite launch and recovery activities operating out of a strategic expeditionary landing field near Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., further demonstrating the platform’s precision targeting and reconnaissance abilities in realistic training scenarios. 

Previously, an uncrewed aircraft required a crew positioned at the airfield where it was operating to fly it for takeoff via direct line-of-site radio link. Then a mission crew could take over the aircraft from anywhere via satellite. Today, satellite launch and recovery means the main Marine mission crew, which can be sited anywhere, flies the aircraft from takeoff via the satellite link. This capability, validated in the Marine Corps operations, enables huge flexibility and expands the locations from which units can operate. 

A key element of these exercises also included not only live-fire training but also comprehensive mission planning, networked communications, and multi-domain coordination. These events provided invaluable experience in integrating the MQ-9A into complex, distributed combat scenarios across the full range of Marine Air-Ground Task Force operations. From supporting maneuver elements with real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to validating command and control networks, the MQ-9A consistently demonstrated its adaptability and operational value. This milestone underscores the platform’s critical role in enhancing situational awareness, mission execution, and overall effectiveness across the battlespace. 

“Reaching 1,000 flight hours for these rigorous training exercises alongside our Marine Corps and Air Force partners is a testament to the reliability and adaptability of the MQ-9A platform,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “This achievement highlights the power of collaboration and the critical role the MQ-9A can play in supporting the MAGTF’s mission readiness.” 

The successful integration of the MQ-9A platform across recent operations represents a major milestone in aligning capability with the MAGTF construct. These events showcased the MQ-9A’s ability to support distributed operations, extend sensor coverage, and provide persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of dynamic mission sets. The coordinated efforts of Marines and GA-ASI personnel underscored the platform’s high degree of interoperability and its growing role in enabling expeditionary operations in contested environments. 

To date, GA-ASI has delivered 17 MQ-9A UAS to USMC. The USMC awaits delivery of three additional aircraft by the end of this year. 

Logistics in a Contested Environment: A New Operational Reality

Although Washington’s military focus over the past three decades has centered on counterinsurgency operations in the Middle East, the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) marked a critical shift, as revisionist powers reignited long-term strategic competition across regions and theaters of operation. Chief among them, China — America’s pacing threat — has moved with speed and intent, creating flashpoints in the Indo-Pacific, complicating U.S. posture in the Middle East, and reshaping the strategic calculus in Eastern Europe.

“The world is a dangerous place, as evidenced by Putin’s adventures in Ukraine, the war between Israel and Hamas, the aggressive behavior of China, and other threats from Iran and North Korea,” said Glenn Lamartin, an acquisition expert and adjunct professor at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy. “These actors share neither our values nor our interests, and their behavior contravenes them. Because of this, we have recognized that our acquisition architecture needs to be fast and agile to respond to — and be resilient in the face of — these challenges.”[i]

In this new era of great power competition, navigating logistics in a contested environment has become a critical challenge, with adversaries targeting supply chains to disrupt U.S. military capabilities. Ensuring rapid and resilient resupply is thus essential for combat effectiveness.

In response to this new reality, the Marine Corps — guided by Force Design’s vision for modernization — is undergoing significant transformation to enhance its agility and resilience, ensuring that it can effectively confront and neutralize these evolving threats across multiple domains and contested environments. By introducing additive and advanced manufacturing, or 3D printing capabilities, Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) is bolstering commands’ abilities to rapidly produce critical parts in the field, further strengthening operational flexibility and effectiveness in the First Island Chain today.

3D Printing Warfighter Lethality

Recognizing this new operational reality, MCSC’s Program Manager for Combat Support Systems (PM CSS) is actively integrating additive manufacturing capabilities to the warfighter’s toolkit in order to streamline supply chains and enable on-demand fabrication of critical capability components.

According to Terry Ritchie, product manager for Maintenance and Support Systems, “AM capabilities are revolutionizing the Marine Corps across the range of military operations by flattening the supply chain and enhancing the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) ability to achieve truly distributed operations. As the Marine Corps conducts operations over greater distances, AM capabilities will enable expeditionary forces to shorten supply chains by streamlining the fabrication authorization and approval process.”[ii]

Such capabilities are especially critical in the context of Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO), where mobile, distributed forces must be highly self-reliant. PM CSS’s Tactical Fabrication (TACFAB) and Expeditionary Fabrication (XFAB) systems enable forward-deployed units to rapidly produce essential items like unmanned aerial system components and vehicle repair parts, supplementing traditional supply chains that may be vulnerable or overextended.

Building on these capabilities, the Corps envisions leveraging forward-deployed 3D printing even further. In advanced operational environments, acquisition experts see the potential to produce essential components on the spot. While metal parts might not be made behind enemy lines, they could be manufactured on ships, advanced naval bases, or EABs with logistics support missions. Ideally, pre-positioning ships would be equipped as floating production facilities, capable of fabricating critical parts for vehicles and radar systems. This approach ensures that essential items are available closer to the front lines, enhancing the resilience and survivability of our supply chain.

This vision is already being tested. During RIMPAC 2024, Marines and engineers from the Naval Post Graduate School’s Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education (CAMRE) demonstrated the power of onboard 3D printing on the USS Somerset.[iii] Shortly after deploying a hybrid-metal printer, the team successfully printed a critical component for the ship’s reverse osmosis pump — vital for producing clean water — after the original part failed. This rapid response not only maintained the ship’s operational readiness but showcased the potential for Marines to use 3D printing to address urgent repair needs directly at sea. By operationalizing AM capabilities on ships alongside our Navy partners, the Navy-Marine Corps team is leading the charge in ensuring that essential repairs and parts production can happen closer to the front lines, enhancing the flexibility and resilience needed in contested environments.

Another example of 3D printing at sea occurred in April 2024, when the amphibious transport dock USS San Diego (LPD 22) tested a liquid metal jetting additive manufacturing process developed by the CAMRE team. Sailors aboard the ship were able to locally reverse engineer and fabricate low pressure air fittings, toggle pins, sound powered phone caps, and flush deck nozzle covers. Talk about Force Design experimentation at its best.[iv]

Yet in a contested Indo-Pacific, ships equipped with printers and feedstock materials alone can’t shoulder the entire burden. To truly fortify supply chains and meet the demands of an EABO environment, the Corps will need to leverage partner nation resources and industrial bases.

While the Advanced Manufacturing Systems team fields containerized machine shops and 3D printing shelters, there is a whole category of fabrication machines that are not easily made expeditionary. These machines are readily available in U.S. industries, producing repair parts for our equipment. In a peer-competitor conflict, where logistics will be contested from the continental U.S. and across every mile of the Pacific Ocean, it makes sense to identify and utilize similar machines within allied economies. CSS is already taking steps in this direction, actively collaborating with Australian partners out of Darwin in the Northern Territory — just one example of the team’s efforts to explore host nations’ potential to adopt commercial additive manufacturing as together we prepare to bring the fight tonight.

There are additive and subtractive machines commonly found in the U.S. industrial base that manufactures parts for the Department of Defense. Current supply chains rely on this industrial base for large-scale production, only to ship small quantities of parts across the globe to support Marines in the Indo-Pacific. As these globe-spanning supply lines become increasingly contested, the Marine Corps is focused on leveraging local host-nation industrial capabilities for on-demand production of repair parts to reconstitute equipment. This approach aligns with the EABO concept of “modern battlefield foraging” — but for repair parts. PM CSS is essentially building distributed and resilient nodes, with both military partners and commercial vendors, throughout the Indo-PACOM area of operations to lower distribution risks.

Advanced manufacturing starts with a digital file and ends with a physical part. While Marine Corps programs of record provide essential deployable fabrication capabilities, some machinery simply doesn’t lend itself to expeditionary use. By leveraging local industry, the goal is to enable Marines to use pre-positioned design files to produce parts locally. If a machine shop is making scooter parts, there’s no reason it can’t produce a bracket for military equipment — so long as the design is readily available and adaptable.

But combatant commanders won’t have to rely on faraway capabilities in the future fight. The XFAB, with its deployable workshops equipped for 3D printing and scanning provides Marines with the ability to fabricate repair parts and develop customized solutions directly in the field, with metal printing capabilities planned for FY26. These initiatives, alongside the introduction of the Advanced Integrated Mobile Machine Shop (AIMMS), aim to enhance and extend existing logistics capabilities, ensuring that Marines can overcome supply chain challenges, sustain operational readiness, and meet the demands of contested environments.

To fully capitalize on this capability, CSS is developing a globally accessible digital repository that ensures technical data packages for part fabrication are available across all logistics levels and can be easily shared with joint and allied partners. Known as the Digital Manufacturing Data Vault, this capability stores advanced manufacturing technical data packages, mitigating supply chain disruptions while addressing the challenges of intellectual property rights and OEM collaboration. By leveraging an agile acquisition pathway through a production Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contract, the team has been able to adapt commercial software tools to meet Marine Corps requirements.

“If you look systemically, what AM is bringing to the issue of logistics for a contested environment and the tyranny of distance in the Pacific — or any contested space — is a supplemental source of supply,” said Maj. Matthew Audette, Advanced Manufacturing Systems Team lead. “It’s not about replacing the existing supply system or original equipment manufacturer (OEMs); it’s about providing another sourcing option to fill gaps — whether due to long lead times, obsolescence, or material shortages — especially in the isolated environments where Stand-in Forces operate. We’ve often seen it as a kind of magic button where things just appear, but it’s time to recognize it as a crucial supplement to our supply chain.”[v]

In short, advanced manufacturing revolutionizes logistics by transforming how we sustain operations in the field. No longer bound by the limitations of traditional supply lines, Marines can now produce essential components like vehicle parts and medical tools directly in the combat zone. When something breaks, there’s no more waiting or scrambling for what we didn’t bring — it’s as simple as sending the request, and within hours, the needed part is being made and sent back to the frontline.

AM vs. our Adversaries: Lessons from Ukraine

Ukraine’s use of additive manufacturing on the battlefield offers a glimpse into how logistics designed for contested environments will shape future conflicts. Under immense pressure, Ukrainian forces have demonstrated how 3D printing can provide rapid solutions to logistical challenges, sustaining combat readiness in ways that traditional supply chains cannot. Their decentralized acquisition model — cutting through red tape to directly engage with industry — has allowed them to field cutting-edge technology with speed and flexibility. This is a playbook worth studying.

In an interview conducted by proxy for this story, an unnamed Ukrainian intelligence official in Kyiv detailed how additive manufacturing is being embraced by military and industry, rapidly reshaping the country’s defense capabilities. He explained that Ukraine is leveraging 3D printing technology across various sectors to produce critical components, enhance supply chain efficiency, and meet battlefield demands. Partnerships between private industry and the military have enabled adaptive logistics and innovative solutions to sustain combat readiness, despite the challenges of operating in a contested environment.[vi]

But American industry partners are also on the ground in Ukraine, proving their capabilities against our stated adversaries on the 21^st century battlefield.

KVG, a mission support company based in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, deployed industrial 3D printers to Ukraine in 2022. According to John Boyer, company CEO, the use of company capabilities and workshop have been instrumental in designing, printing, testing, and refining emerging modifications and prototypes that are now being employed on the frontlines of the conflict. KVG’s team, including former U.S. Marines embedded in Ukraine, emphasizes the importance of additive manufacturing in the adaptation, innovation, and overcoming of logistical challenges in real time, ensuring readiness for the future fight.[vii]

After all, as one unnamed Ukrainian warfighter noted for this story, “Every single first-person-view drone strike relies on at least one 3D-printed component.”[viii]

But here, Ukraine’s success lies widely in its decentralized acquisition structure which allows it to move quickly to equip the warfighter — cutting through red-tape to engage directly with industry to field bleeding-edge technology at near-market speed.

The Way Forward/ Challenges

Although AM is proving to be the way forward in contested logistics environments, the state of the American industrial base and our adversaries’ proven intent to disrupt supply lines demand that we move quickly to incorporate AM into the warfighter’s toolkit.

To fully harness the potential of additive manufacturing for the future fight, the Corps must address several critical challenges. The post-COVID defense industrial base remains stressed, limiting the Department of Defense’s ability to tap into a broader network of suppliers. This issue is further complicated by the lack of access to technical data packages from OEMs, who are often reluctant or unequipped to sell or share proprietary designs. Securing and managing intellectual property effectively would enable the Corps to independently produce essential parts, ensuring operational readiness even when traditional supply lines are compromised.

The Digital Manufacturing Data Vault +must evolve to identify certain print files as “licensed” from OEMs, track the number of successful prints, and secure those files post-production. This technical advancement will be critical to shifting the OEM paradigm — moving from recouping investment in the sustainment phase of a program to incentivizing the sharing of technical data through adequate compensation and licensing.

While technical data remains a challenge for the DoD acquisition community to resolve, AM practitioners, thought leaders, and logistics experts across the Corps are working to standardize training and ensure that education keeps pace with the rapid advancements in technology. Once established, a certification program would ensure commonality in training and create a tiered, journeymen system from basic printer operation to advanced metal fabrication. In line with Talent Management 2030, this effort will help develop and retain the next generation of logistics experts, ensuring Marines are not only proficient but also adaptable in the face of rapidly evolving operational challenges.

After all, “When Marines are properly trained in additive manufacturing (AM), they can deliver solutions that greatly enhance readiness while saving taxpayer dollars,” Audette noted.

While significant progress has been made in the integration of additive manufacturing (AM) across the Marine Corps, challenges remain in gaining broader acceptance. Greater efforts are needed to highlight the innovative work being done and showcase how AM can be a powerful tool to enhance operational readiness.

There are pockets of excellence throughout the Fleet where AM units are stepping up to meet readiness requirements. However, since ingenuity is ingrained in the Marine Corps culture and expected, many of these accomplishments don’t receive widespread attention. Units complete the mission and move on to the next task – because that’s what Marines do.

Ultimately, additive manufacturing is the way forward for the Marine Corps, working with all elements of the joint force and partner nation forces. This technology is revolutionizing how we approach logistics, especially in contested environments, by enabling rapid, on-site production and reducing reliance on vulnerable supply lines. As we prepare to face multiple adversaries across diverse theaters, the Marine Corps is at the forefront of this critical innovation.

As the United States prepares to face our adversaries in the future fight, advanced manufacturing is more than just a capability — it’s an operational necessity ahead of tomorrow’s contested fight. Tomorrow’s battlefields won’t allow for the timelines of traditional supply chains or dependence on distant industrial bases; our adversaries are poised to exploit these vulnerabilities, and they’ve demonstrated their effectiveness in real life and simulated scenarios.[ix][x] with 3D printing as a critical logistics enabler, the Marine Corps ensures that the Joint Force — and our international partners — will have the flexibility and resilience to sustain operations wherever needed.

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[i] Glen Lamartin, conversation with Johannes Schmidt, 25 October 2023.

[ii] Terry Ritchie, conversation with Johannes Schmidt, 6 June 2024.

[iii] Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christian Corley, “3D Printer Solves Engineering Challenges Onboard USS Somerset,” Navy.mil, November 9, 2023

[iv] Lt. Cmdr. Chelsea Irish, “3D Printing Creates New Possibilities Onboard USS San Diego,” SurfPac, October 23, 2023

[v] Maj. Matt Audette, conversation with Johannes Schmidt, 18 November 2024.

[vi] Ukrainian intelligence official, interview by proxy, 3 December 2024.

[vii] John Boyer, email conversation with Johannes Schmidt, 21 December 2024.

[viii] Ukrainian warfighter, quote provided by KVG, 22 December 2024.

[ix] Brendan Cole, “Russia Threatens Ukraine’s Donetsk Supply Route with New Offensive,” Newsweek, October 9, 2023.

[x] Mark F. Cancian, Matthew Cancian, and Eric Heginbotham, The First Battle of the Next War: Wargaming a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan (Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies, 2023)

Six years into its modernization initiative, the Marine Corps has a head start on some of its sister services. But there’s still more to be done, said panelists during the April 8 session “Modernizing the Marine Corps: Building an Agile, Lethal and Resilient Force.”

“It’s exciting and we need to go faster,” summed up Lieutenant General Eric Austin, deputy commandant for combat development and integration and commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command.

Austin emphasized the Marine campaign of learning and its influence on force design. “How we responsibly modernize the Marine Corps is how we execute force design,” he said.

Lieutenant General Benjamin Watson, commanding general, Training and Education Command, said the Corps has traditionally relied on brick-and-mortar training solutions, “but that’s not the world we’re in these days.”

He cited initiatives like Project Triumph’s emphasis on leveraging technology to be more efficient and effective, and Project Tripoli’s emphasis on a live, virtual and constructive training environment.

“We’re increasingly fielding more complicated and sophisticated systems that are tougher and more costly to train on. I think if you look at what we’re seeing in contemporary conflict, it’s not much of a stretch to say we will never fight again with what’s traditionally known as air superiority,” Watson said, citing the need for unmanned systems integration, data and artificial intelligence.

“One of our mantras is the idea that any Marine using a precision weapon can kill someone who needs killing at 500 meters. But now that’s up to 15, 20 kilometers and beyond” through the use of technology like first-person view drones, he said.

Major General Jason Woodworth, commander, Marine Corps Installations Command, and assistant deputy commandant, Installations and Logistics, discussed the importance of Barracks 2030, noting that modernizing aging structures is one of the commandant’s top priorities.

“It’s where warrior and family readiness starts. If Marines are good at home, they’re better at work,” he said.

Brigadier General Robert Brodie, director, Expeditionary Warfare OPNAV N95, said he’s seeing good collaboration between the Marine Corps and industry on modernization initiatives. He said in terms of shipbuilding, the most successful companies have great relationships with other industry partners as well. 

Brodie and the other panelists said to further facilitate Marine-industry partnerships, members of the Corps need to do a better job of defining exactly what they’re looking for from industry — including opportunities for industry to help them understand a problem, define the problem and shape solutions.  

The U.S. Marine Corps is expanding its expeditionary capability and investing heavily in neglected resources to improve its warfighting prowess and the lives and effectiveness of Marines, but unpredictable funding from Congress is making that difficult, the service’s leader said April. 7.

U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General Eric Smith was the luncheon keynote speaker at Sea-Air-Space and described the tools and constructs the service is using to project forces.

“I’ll begin with what makes the Navy and Marine Corps team the premier expeditionary fighting force on the planet,” he said. And that is the ARG/MEU, the Amphibious Ready Group/Marine Expeditionary Unit. An Amphibious Ready Group with an embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit is the coin of the realm,” he said. “It’s the Swiss Army Knife of the DoD inventory.”

His top priority, he said, is restoring a “3.0 MEU presence worldwide.” That means one ARG/MEU off the East Coast, handling the Mediterranean and the coast of Africa, one off the West Coast, handling the Indo-Pacific, and the “episodic deployment” of a MEU out of Okinawa, Japan. Three such ARG/MEUs is the minimum, he said, while the demand signal is for 5.5.

MEUs include light infantry, artillery, light armored reconnaissance, combat aviation, combat service support, medical support and command and control, and “operate as one. They blend themselves into a chainmail fist,” he said.

The Amphib Fleet

One challenge for the Marines is reconstituting its amphibious ship fleet, which he said the USMC allowed to atrophy as it turned its attention to combat in Iraq in recent years.

“We didn’t look back at our amphibs,” he said. They weren’t maintained because they hadn’t been used in a decade, but “without those ships, Marines can’t get to the fight.”

The Corps has also been investing in equipment such as the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar, or G/ATOR radar, and the Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), a remotely operated missile battery, as well as MADIS, the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, which provides the service’s first organic air defense system.

“We used to be armed with a Stinger [missile], and that is not enough to get it done against the PRC,” he said, referencing China.

Barracks Spending

The USMC is also moving to address longstanding issues with its infrastructure, namely rebuilding crumbling barracks as part of Barracks 2030, which Smith described as a “heavy lift” that will cost $5 billion over the five-year defense program.

It’s difficult to plan such long-term efforts — 11 barracks renovations were started last year with another dozen planned this year — without steady funding. Members of Congress are supportive of these and other efforts, Smith said, but the reliance on continuing resolutions instead of passing new funding bills causes problems.

“I’ll stay out of politics,” he said. “But I will say we need predictable, on-time funding that only Congress can provide. Meaning, continuing resolutions aren’t continuing anything, they stop our progress.”

From Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Apr. 1, 2025 

NAS PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — For the first time, U.S. Marine Corps F-35 and Air Force F-22 pilots trained as a joint fighting force in the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division‘s (NAWCAD) Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, March 24-27. 

The training event brought eight U.S. Marine Corps F-35s to train alongside four Air Force F-22 Raptors in the DOD’s most advanced digital test and training range. 

“This milestone is a game-changer that ushers in a new era of interoperability for aviation’s combat community and served as a pivotal exercise getting NAWCAD ready to make this joint training standard for Navy and Air Force fighters starting this spring,” said NAWCAD Commander Rear Adm. John Dougherty IV. 

During the event, F-35B and F-35C pilots from Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons (VMFA) VMFA-122, VMFA-225, and VMFA-311 trained with several F-22 pilots from the Combat Air Forces and test community. Over two days, F-35 and F-22 pilots practiced fifth generation fighting together in 17 simulated combat missions against advanced enemy threats only available at JSE. After each mission, the pilots reviewed their performance using cockpit video and audio recordings. 

“The cross talk [while training in the JSE] is unparalleled in terms of being able to talk tactics [and] actually get in the same room with people,” said F-22 pilot Capt. Brett Myer. “It helps iron out a lot of the small details that really matter when it comes down to it.”   

Real world training on open-air ranges at this scale is expensive, difficult to coordinate, and lacks a realistic threat environment. The JSE solves this problem by providing defense aviation a secure simulated range that puts pilots in threat environments not replicable in real life. 

“At the end of the day, it’s going to be the people that win our nation’s wars,” said VMFA-225 pilot Maj. Patrick Hoffer. “Having those person-to-person connections between the Air Force, the Navy and the Marine Corps [in the JSE] is the most important part and biggest objective that we’re able to achieve.” 

Developed by NAWCAD engineers and industry partners, the JSE is a digital training and test facility that features realistic domed simulators with actual defense hardware, software, and adversary aircraft. The immersive environment enables pilots flying F-35 and F-22 to practice complex combat scenarios and receive instant feedback, accelerating the learning process and honing their skills. Tactical groups training in the JSE fly more sorties in one week than they fly over a year on open-air ranges. 

NAWCAD’s JSE is formally integrated into the Navy’s Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program —commonly known as TOPGUN — and efforts are underway to incorporate JSE training across additional warfighter programs. 

NAWCAD will expand JSE’s capabilities with the addition of a highly realistic E-2D Advanced Hawkeye this year, and the F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler next year. 

NAWCAD’s military, civilian, and contract personnel operate test ranges, laboratories, and aircraft in support of test, evaluation, research, development, and sustainment for all Navy and Marine Corps aviation platforms. Based in Patuxent River, Maryland, NAWCAD also has major sites in St. Inigoes, Maryland; Lakehurst, New Jersey; and Orlando, Florida.