Chicago Propeller Club’s Post

Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) is holding its membership summit in Boston this week, where some of America's leading textile manufacturers are hearing from top policymakers and industry leaders about new domestic investments, evolving military requirements, and the latest breakthroughs that could transform traditional fibers, yarns and textiles into sophisticated and networked devices and systems. Some of the headliners include Tracy Frost, director of the United States Department of Defense Manufacturing Technology Program, Michael Molnar, director of the Advanced Manufacturing Office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and Brig. Gen. David Trybula, deputy commander of the Army Futures Command's Combat Capabilities Development Command at Natick Soldier Systems Center. Also participating in the summit are SMI clients University of Massachusetts Lowell and Drexel University, which have Fabric Discovery Centers, along with New Balance and Specialty Materials Inc. Specialty Material's chief business officer Rick Rommel lauded AFFOA for its help in securing a $2.3 million grant from the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative, which has better positioned the company to win DoD and aerospace contracts. AFFOA is a public-private partnership partly working to rekindle the domestic textile industry for advanced fiber and fabric and building the next generation supply chain and manufacturing workforce. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gksB4Jus

As I push my thoughts of the inaugural 2024 NDIS, my initial inclination is to bring into focus the Small Business Concerns of the “…dynamic modernized defense industrial ecosystem.” It is ever apparent as to HOW we have arrived at our current state of industrial dependency (non-FOD) due to the short-term desire of large-scale U.S. corporations. Invest in innovative, entrepreneurial small businesses to diversify our industrial ecosystem. We could learn a thing or two from biological ecosystems; too many large-scale organelles are simply not sustainable!

The United States Department of Defense recently released its inaugural National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS), which will guide the Department’s engagement, policy development and investment in the industrial base over the next three to five years. Taking its lead from the National Defense Strategy (NDS), this strategy will catalyze generational change from the existing defense industrial base to a more robust, resilient and dynamic modern defense industrial ecosystem. https://lnkd.in/dxfH49f5 

The United States Department of Defense "released its inaugural National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS), which will guide the Department's engagement, policy development, and investment in the industrial base over the next three to five years. Taking its lead from the National Defense Strategy (NDS), this strategy will catalyze generational change from the existing defense industrial base to a more robust, resilient, and dynamic modernized defense industrial ecosystem." https://lnkd.in/dxfH49f5

🚀Launching Our Blog Series!🚀 We're thrilled to announce the launch of our new blog series, kicking off with a powerful piece by our CEO, Dan Radomski, on "Strengthening Defense Innovation and Manufacturing: A Path to Supply Chain Resiliency." Join us on this journey to drive #innovation and resilience in the defense sector. Blog highlights include: 🔹Ensuring resiliency within our nation’s defense infrastructure is critical as we continue to support defense innovations. 🔹 Supporting defense innovations and domestic manufacturing is not only strategically imperative but also economically essential. 🔹 Fostering domestic manufacturing and defense innovation in #Michigan will strengthen supply chain resiliency by reducing reliance on foreign suppliers and dependencies. Read the full blog here: https://lnkd.in/g9rnyapc #DefenseInnovation #SupplyChainResiliency #Hardtech #DefenseManufacturing

Small to medium manufacturing plays a critical role in the A/D industry. Thorsten Wuest and Michael Morford highlight the need for production capacity and defense supply chain resilience to ensure our "Arsenal of Democracy." As US Manufacturing led the way to victory through WW2 and the Cold War, it's essential to support SMB manufacturing to lead us into the future. Check out the article in the comments and share your thoughts. #manufacturing #defenseindustry #supplychainresilience

Three Supply Chain Takeaways from the National Defense Industrial Strategy https://lnkd.in/eW-BghN2

Excited to share the launch of Centrepolis Accelerator @ Lawrence Technological University new blog series, starting with an insightful piece by our CEO, Dan Radomski, on "Strengthening Defense Innovation and Manufacturing: A Path to Supply Chain Resiliency." This is a must-read for anyone interested in driving innovation and resilience in the defense sector!

The United States Department of Defense just released its first-ever National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS) and I'm impressed by its vision and goals. It aims to modernize the #defense industrial ecosystem and make it more robust, resilient, and dynamic. The NDIS has four strategic priorities: - Resilient supply chains - Workforce readiness - Flexible acquisition - Economic deterrence. I highly recommend reading the NDIS if you are interested in the future of the defense industrial base and the U.S. national #security. You can find the full document here: https://lnkd.in/gP-tdeV6