New DOD effort targets dual-use tech supply chain

A newly announced Defense Department pilot seeks to boost development and scaling of dual-use, advanced manufacturing technologies in areas that will eventually include microelectronics and clean energy.

Unveiled in a Pentagon news release today, the undertaking aims to ultimately bolster supply chains and the resiliency of the defense industrial base, according to William LePlante, the DOD’s acquisition chief.

“This pilot program is a first step in finding new and creative solutions to innovate within the American manufacturing sector,” he said in the announcement.

The initial phase of the 24-month undertaking will zone in on originating inert chemicals used by DOD for munitions and the commercial sector for agricultural products -- a focus that the release said will let both DOD and private businesses “receive new products that are identical to their legacy material.”

Launched by DOD’s Industrial Base Policy Office, the effort will be run through the Defense Production Act Title III Program in partnership with the Austin Center for Manufacturing and Innovation in Austin, TX. Using the DPA Title III dollars allows “DOD to address critical industrial base shortfalls, while maximizing the use of private capital for future national security needs,” per the release.

The release doesn’t say how much funding will go toward the pilot from the Title III program. But it notes that additional money will be pulled from it following the pilot’s completion to expand the effort into other sectors, such as microelectronics and clean energy.

The pilot will also inform the potential for expansion into other geographical locations and sectors, the announcement states.