ARM Institute Announces Inclusion in Two New Defense Manufacturing Communities Selected by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation
The ARM Institute is now partnered with over half of the Defense Manufacturing Communities throughout the United States
August 31, 2022 – PITTSBURGH, PA – The ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute reports that it is a partner with two new Defense Manufacturing Communities recently selected by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) within the Department of Defense. The ARM Institute is the nation’s leading collaborative in robotics and workforce innovation, working at the confluence of industry, government, and academia. Structured as a public-private partnership, the ARM Institute and its member organizations catalyze robotic technologies and education solutions to strengthen the U.S. industrial base, protect our warfighters, and secure national manufacturing resiliency.
The Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program (DMCSP) is designed to support long-term community investments that strengthen national security innovation and expand the capabilities of the defense manufacturing industrial ecosystem.
The DMCSP is authorized under Section 846 of the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which enabled the Secretary of Defense to establish a program to designate and support consortiums as defense manufacturing communities to strengthen the national security industrial base. This program was developed in coordination with the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Industrial Base Policy (formerly known as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy) and the Under Secretary of Defense, Research and Engineering.
The ARM Institute will help meet the goals of these new Defense Manufacturing Communities:
Rhode Island Manufacturing to Accelerate the Defense Ecosystem
State: RI
University of Rhode Island Research Foundation
Primary Focus: Shipbuilding
The Rhode Island Manufacturing to Accelerate the Defense Ecosystem (RI MADE) proposes to address weaknesses in the maritime defense industrial base through strengthening workforce training or retraining or recruitment and retention, and expanding small business assistance to support automation and robotics and cyber resiliency. The project will provide a minimum of 50 small business assistance grants, educate and train 675 students and workers using Manufacturing Innovation Institute enhanced offerings, and launch an innovative Education to Assessment model to enhance assessment capability and supplier matching for DoD supply chain companies. Tentative DMCSP Grant: $5,000,000.
New Jersey Defense Manufacturing Community
State: NJ
New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc.
Primary Focus: Missiles & Munitions, Castings & Forgings, Microelectronics
The New Jersey Defense Manufacturing Community (NJ-DMC) proposes to support execution of a Memorandum of Understanding with Picatinny Arsenal, the Joint Center of Excellence for Guns and Ammunition, to fill key advanced manufacturing technology needs and to create transition opportunities for new defense technologies. The project will support ecosystem capacity building in technology-driven market intelligence and focus on workforce training, retraining, or recruitment and retention, including that of women, underrepresented minorities, and veterans, military personnel, and their family members, transitioning into manufacturing careers. Tentative DMCSP Grant: $5,000,000.
The ARM Institute is now a partner with nine (9) DMCs throughout the United States from seventeen (17) that have been awarded or selected to date. The nine communities are listed below:
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- The Artificial Intelligence in Metals and Manufacturing Consortium (AIM Higher Consortium in PA/WV/OH
- The Utah Defense Manufacturing Community
- The Ohio Defense Manufacturing Community
- The Alabama Defense Advanced Manufacturing Community
- Wichita State University National Institute for Aviation Research-led Defense Manufacturing Community Consortia
- North Carolina State University Industry Expansion Solutions-led Defense Manufacturing Consortia
- Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station-led Defense Manufacturing Community Consortia
- The Rhode Island Manufacturing to Accelerate the Defense Ecosystem
- The New Jersey Defense Manufacturing Community
“Our inclusion in more than 50% of Defense Manufacturing Communities highlights the importance of robotics, artificial intelligence, and workforce development throughout the nation”, stated ARM Institute CEO Ira Moskowitz. “We look forward to working with these two new organizations to continue to strengthen and grow the U.S. industrial base and support the warfighter.”
ABOUT THE ARM INSTITUTE
The Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) funded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004 and is part of the Manufacturing USA® network. The ARM Institute leverages a unique, robust, and diverse ecosystem of over 360 consortium members and partners across industry, academia, and government to make robotics, autonomy, and artificial intelligence more accessible to U.S. manufacturers large and small, train and empower the manufacturing workforce, strengthen our economy and global competitiveness, and elevate national security and resilience. Based in Pittsburgh, PA since 2017, the ARM Institute is leading the way to a future where people & robots work together to respond to our nation’s greatest challenges and to produce the world’s most desired products. For more information, visit www.arminstitute.org and follow the ARM Institute on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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