The Navy looks to cut maintenance times by using 3-D printing, as well as augmented-reality software that allows technicians to remotely troubleshoot problems from the sailor’s point of view.
The Pentagon, via the Defense Logistics Agency Maritime Mechanicsburg Detachment, has awarded a $5 billion contract to six firms to upgrade the speed of their shipbuilding process. This comes in the wake of the Defense Department’s $1 trillion budget proposal, which includes funding for 19 new US Navy battle force ships—a drastic increase over the previous year’s 5 ships.
Declining shipbuilding rates and capacity have become a major concern for the Navy, as well as for Congress. Louisiana Senator John Kennedy recently noted, “In the last two decades, we have doubled the amount of money we’ve given the Navy to build ships. We’ve actually had fewer ships today because we’ve retired more than we’ve built.”
Acting Chief of Naval Operations Admiral James Kilby responded that shipbuilding costs have increased significantly, and production has halved since the 1990s. “We are behind in every ship class [by] different rates, but at least years,” he added.
The Trump administration appears to be aware of this problem, and the recent contract aims to help speed up the process. DLA Maritime Mechanicsburg Deputy Director Elizabeth Allen noted that there were “significantly long lead times the Navy faces…this contracting vehicle streamlines and reduces our end of the administrative lead time.” She added that the new tender would leverage innovative methods to get items into contract quickly.
The 30 DLA Land and Maritime Detachments “are responsible for assisting in the management of almost 2.6 million spare and repair parts,” according to a statement on the Defense Logistics Agency’s website. “DLA Land and Maritime and its detachments support more than 2,000 weapon systems and more than 20,800 customers throughout the military services, civil agencies, and other Defense Department organizations.”
The new contract was awarded to SupplyCore, Atlantic Diving Supply, Culmen International, ASRC Federal, Fairwinds Technologies, and S&K Aerospace to manufacture parts for US Navy vessels—particularly the Virginia-class nuclear attack submarines. The Pentagon has allocated funding for two Virginia-class subs in its newest budget proposal.
The Navy looks to cut production and maintenance times by using 3-D printing, as well as the new Augmented Reality Maintenance System (ARMS) that allows technicians to remotely troubleshoot problems from the sailor’s point of view. ARMS is already installed on the aircraft carrier Nimitz and the guided missile destroyers Curtis Wilbur, Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee, Gridley, and Fitzgerald. 3-D printing is already significantly reducing lead times on “low-risk” parts, which are not considered vital to the ship’s safety and function. Parts recently manufactured for the destroyer Arleigh Burke reduced production time by 80 percent, allowing the ship to make a scheduled deployment that it would have otherwise missed.
DLA Maritime Mechanicsburg’s Allen echoed this trend, saying, “We created this vehicle to do more with less—we can do larger contracts faster, which coincides perfectly with the Virginia-class initiative.” Allen explained that the multi-award structure was essential to handle the sheer volume and requirements for modern shipbuilding.
Acquisition Director Timothy McCloskey noted that the contract’s structure and implementation will have wider implications. “The scope is broad…it’s not just a benefit for DLA here in Mechanicsburg, it’s a benefit for any other buying activity that wants to use it.”
Allen added that her team has already engaged with other DLA detachments and will be touring other commands to teach them how to use the contract vehicle for their own benefit. “It’s one team, one fight. We’re working together with the Navy – they’re excited about this contract vehicle, and we’re engaged with industry. They’re seeing the benefits. They know the need, they know the criticality of the items and they’re ready to go.”
This kind of streamlined procurement and administrative initiative will be critical to restoring American shipbuilding to meet the emerging naval challenges from China and others.
About the Author: William Lawson
William Lawson is a military historian focusing on World War II and 20th century conflicts and the American Civil War. His specialty is operational level warfare, especially American amphibious doctrine. He writes on history, politics, and firearms for multiple publications and historical journals. He serves on the editorial advisory board for the Saber & Scroll Journal and Military History Chronicles and is a member of the Society for Military History and the American Historical Association. Lawson is based in Virginia.
Image: Shutterstock / Artie Medvedev.
