ARM Institute Works with Consortium to Modernize Military Manufacturing Sites Through Nearly $90M in Newly Funded Solutions
In partnership with its member consortium, the ARM Institute will deliver robotics and physical AI solutions alongside workforce development plans within a two-year period to modernize and strengthen military manufacturing sites.
September 3, 2026 – Earlier this year, the Office of the Under Secretary of War Manufacturing Technology Office (OSW ManTech) issued an Organic Industrial Base (OIB) Modernization Challenge to the nation’s Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs), including the ARM Institute. This challenge supports the Department of War (DoW)’s focus on transforming and modernizing defense manufacturing through practical technology and workforce innovations. Through this challenge, the ARM Institute was awarded nearly $90M in funding for ten projects led by the ARM Institute and its consortium members. Fifteen (15) member organizations will deliver viable working solutions within a two-year timeframe to solve exceptionally complex automation and modernization challenges at 12 military manufacturing sites, often referred to as the OIB, across the United States.
The US Organic Industrial Base is a complex network of arsenals, depots, and ammunition plants that build and maintain the equipment that powers our military, playing a critical role in both supporting our warfighters and ensuring national security. The DoW has embarked on an extensive strategic effort to modernize the operations at these facilities through advanced technologies, such as robotics and physical Artificial Intelligence (AI).
ARM Members stepped up to this challenge by bridging innovation with practicality to propose solutions that will tangibly benefit the OIB and its workforce. The selected innovations range from improving safety in energetics production and increasing manufacturing quality using AI, to accelerating mission readiness utilizing drones, to removing bottlenecks through robotics. These solutions solve challenges impacting each branch of the military.
Technology innovations can only have impact if the workforce is prepared to work alongside new systems and processes. Each solution plan includes a workforce readiness component that the ARM Institute will lead with its workforce partners. This work will center on identifying the skills workers need to operate these systems and, as necessary, identifying ways to upskill the workforce and/or recruit additional workers to support the new technologies.
“This funding award recognizes not only the leadership role the ARM Institute plays in modernizing manufacturing, but the key role our member consortium plays in these efforts,” said Mr. Jorgen Pedersen, ARM Institute Chief Executive Officer, “We are honored to work on this important initiative for our nation and we congratulate our members on the role they will play in this historic effort to modernize the Organic Industrial Base.”
“Innovation cannot exist in a vacuum. A skilled workforce is needed to support these technologies,” noted Ms. Lisa Masciantonio, ARM Institute Chief Workforce Officer, “We are thrilled that the Department of War recognizes the importance of the human workforce. We look forward to working with OIB sites across the nation to not only upgrade their technologies but also ensure that their workforce is ready for the forthcoming improvements to their operations.”
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ABOUT THE ARM INSTITUTE
The ARM (Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing) Institute is a Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) funded by the Office of the Secretary of War under Agreement Number W911NF-17-3-0004 and is part of the Manufacturing USA® network. The ARM Institute leverages a world class consortium of 500+ member organizations and partners across industry, academia, and government to assert the US as the leading nation in manufacturing output through the adoption of robotics and AI. Based in Pittsburgh, PA since 2017, the ARM Institute has a dual focus on catalyzing innovative yet practical robotics and physical AI solutions while growing and preparing the US workforce for advanced manufacturing careers.
For more information, visit www.arminstitute.org and follow the ARM Institute on LinkedIn