Appropriators, Air Force discuss industrial base, additive manufacturing and supply‑chain brittleness

A recurring theme in the hearing was the United States defense industrial base and how to rebuild domestic supply and production capacity to support modernization and sustainment.

Members, including Rep. John Joyce and Rep. Mike Womack, pressed Air Force leaders about aging industrial capacity, parts shortages for legacy platforms, and opportunities to use advanced manufacturing such as additive manufacturing to reduce dependence on fragile domestic and global supply chains. “I think we have actually a couple of really unique openings where you might be able to leapfrog pretty quickly and bring down the cost of parts, bring down the cost of munitions, bridal up the supply of both,” Rep. Womack said.

Acting Secretary Ashworth said the department is continuing implementation of a national defense industrial strategy, pursuing advanced manufacturing pilots, and using executive orders on acquisition reform and industrial base resilience to expand domestic supplier bases. “When it comes to advanced manufacturing, additive manufacturing, we're looking at that across the board in the department of the Air Force right now,” he said, noting the department will share additional information with the committee offline.

Lawmakers also flagged the potential for nontraditional firms to enter defense production, citing the NGAD program’s government reference architecture as a model for expanding the supplier base. Members asked for further details on targeted supply‑chain vulnerabilities, the department’s plan to catalyze domestic suppliers, and specific opportunities where additive manufacturing could supply critical spares.

Department witnesses committed to provide follow‑up briefings and documentation on strategies and pilot efforts for additive manufacturing and industrial base incentives.