Defense Systems

The United States and the U.S. Department of Defense, with the help of its industry and academia partners, strive to remain the leader in chip research and design, prototyping, manufacturing and production at scale. Leading this charge is the Microelectronics Commons, which has over 1,200 member organizations, having more than tripled in size, in just 12 months.

For small businesses that may not be able to meet cybersecurity requirements on their own, the Army is planning to launch a pilot program called the Next-Generation Commercial Operations in Defended Enclaves, or NCODE, which essentially provides a cyber-secure enclave in a secure environment for small businesses to participate in where they can collaborate, share information, and do their own work.

The Department of Defense announced seven awards totaling $192.5 million through the Defense Production Act Investments Program to establish domestic manufacturing capabilities for critical chemicals.

The Department of Defense awarded $46.2 million to GreenSource Fabrication LLC (GreenSource) via the Defense Production Act Investment Program. The award will enhance existing production capabilities at a manufacturing facility of state-of-the-art integrated circuits substrate, high-density interconnect and ultra-high-density interconnect, and advanced packaging.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program showcased technologies that will keep servicemembers combat effective in extreme temperatures. The event featured technologies generated by the U.S. Department of Defense's Manufacturing Innovation Institute member companies that won the Point-of-Need Manufacturing Challenge held in March 2023 by proposing solutions to the Department's operational constraints in extreme cold temperatures.

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, through its Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization (MCEIP) office, issued an award to E-VAC Magnetics, LLC (E-VAC) to establish a domestic rare earth permanent magnet manufacturing capability. E-VAC is part of VAC Group, a manufacturer of rare earth permanent magnets.

The Department of Defense's Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy through its Manufacturing Capability Expansion and Investment Prioritization Directorate, announced it has entered a $13.8 million agreement with The Timken Company (Timken) to increase production of high-precision ball bearings at its facility in Keene, New Hampshire. Timken's high precision ball-bearings are used in defense and space-related advanced systems.

The Department of Defense's Office for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy has entered into an agreement with Arconic Corporation to increase production of missiles and munitions. The purpose of the $45.5 million agreement with Arconic is to increase production of High Purity Aluminum (HPA) at its facility in Davenport, Iowa. The low-cost production of HPA by foreign smelters has resulted in decreased production of HPA in the United States.