ISSUE PAPER
Actionable Directions for the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force to Enhance Mid-Scale Manufacturing
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Julie A. Christodoulou, Jian Cao, and Thomas R. Kurfess, Authors
Linda Casola, Editor
Defense Materials, Manufacturing, and Its Infrastructure Standing Committee
Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences
This issue paper was conducted under the auspices of the Defense Materials, Manufacturing, and Its Infrastructure Standing Committee (DMMI), an activity of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and sponsored by three of the services (the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy) via Reliance 21 and the Materials and Manufacturing Processes Community of Interest. The DMMI’s purpose is the advancement of materials science and engineering, manufacturing, and the infrastructure issues related to materials science and manufacturing in the national interest. Many of the issues that these three services will need to address within the next several years are systems-based complex problems. Of these problems, those that are being addressed by this committee include significant issues regarding materials, manufacturing, and their infrastructural activities related to a military focus on personnel, platforms, and the manufacturing/industrial base, with transfer of relevant technologies to the commercial sector as appropriate. The authors are solely responsible for the content of this paper, which does not necessarily represent the views of the authors’ organizations or of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Issue Papers are National Academies products authored by subject-matter experts that describe the status of and key elements shaping an issue, examine and summarize the research or evidence base, examine existing practices on a key issue, and/or provide technical assessments of strategies or priorities. They do not include consensus findings, conclusions, or recommendations. They are considered individually authored because they are a product of the subject-matter experts and not a product of a committee or other formal entity of the National Academies. These products are published through the National Academies Press.
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This activity was supported by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy. Any views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization or agency that provided support for the project.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-99592-4
Digital Object Identifier: https://doi.org/10.17226/29233
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Suggested citation: Christodoulou, J.A., J. Cao, and T.R. Kurfess. 2025. Actionable Directions for the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force to Enhance Mid-Scale Manufacturing: Issue Paper. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/29233.
Authors
JULIE A. CHRISTODOULOU, Principal, Materials & Manufacturing Innovation, LLC.
JIAN CAO (NAE), Cardiss Collins Professor and Founding Director of the Northwestern Initiative for Manufacturing Science and Innovation at Northwestern University.
THOMAS R. KURFESS (NAE), HUSCO/Ramirez Distinguished Chair in Fluid Power and Motion Control and Regents’ Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST DISCLOSURES
The authors declare no competing interests or disclosures.
