WASHINGTON  –   Representatives and leaders from the Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program met with industry partners and U.S. allies at the Pacific Operational Science & Technology Conference in Honolulu, March 4-7, 2024. This ally- and partner- focused event provided ManTech a platform to share information about its collaborative manufacturing technology projects vital for tackling industrial base challenges within the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command area of operations.

To start the conference, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu delivered the morning address, emphasizing the critical importance of advancing science and technology to address the evolving challenges. Her keynote underscored the role innovation plays in national security and strengthening defense capabilities in an ever-changing global landscape.

As an example of projects that the department is funding to meet warfighters’ needs, Shyu discussed the success of the Low-Cost Chip Scale Atomic Clock project, initiated by the Defense Advances Research Projects Agency then funded and transitioned by the DoD ManTech Manufacturing Science and Technology Program.

The CSAC project created compact, low-power atomic time and frequency units for secure UHF communication and GPS. The units enhance military system mobility, boasting a 100-fold size reduction and 50 times less power consumption compared to traditional, commercially available atomic clocks.

DoD ManTech Director Tracy Frost continued R&E themes in the Manufacturing Technology Panel titled “Allied Partnerships and Investments: Where Science and Technology Meet Manufacturing to Secure the INDOPACOM Industrial Base.” Frost was joined by Masuo Kuremura, director of the Aerospcae and Defense Industry Division at the Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Dr. Dan Billing, program leader at the Health and Logistics Science and Technology Group, Australia Department of Defence, who provided insights into enhancing deterrence capabilities through collaboration among Australia, Japan, and the U.S.

On day two, Deputy Director Keith DeVries led panel discussions on the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel and Office of the Secretary of Defense investments to discuss how joint planning can support the joint warfighting doctrine while reduce costs for the DoD. Panelists spoke about goals and strategies of the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel and the service ManTech programs, as well as how past and current projects identify and solve manufacturing U.S. INDOPACOM challenges for shipbuilding, microelectronics, point-of-need manufacturing, biomanufacturing, directed energy, and other priorities.