Workforce and manufacturing shortfalls are particularly acute in the naval shipbuilding and repair sector, impacting the readiness of the current fleet. The “1 COLUMBIA + 2 VIRGINIA” construction cadence beginning in FY26 will further stress the Marine Industrial Base.

The Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing Program (ATDM) and the Navy Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) have been established to address these challenges.

Located at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, Virginia, these projects are moving forward under the direction of the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program Office (IBAS) in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and Navy’s Program Executive Office (PEO) Strategic Submarines.