The Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program, authorized under Section 846 of the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 115-232), supports long-term investments in critical skills, facilities, research and development, and small business support in order to strengthen the national security innovation and manufacturing base by designating and supporting consortia as defense manufacturing communities. Consortia membership can include entities of State and local government, defense manufacturers, workforce organizations, defense industry and association-led organizations, non-profit organizations, academia, and various combinations thereof. State and local economic development organizations can be valuable partners in connecting the defense-focused project with broader public initiatives, while industry associations and companies can invest in proven programs and technologies to bring them to scale.
The program also seeks to ensure complementarity of designated Defense Manufacturing Communities with existing Department of Defense Manufacturing Innovation Institutes. Since 2012, the Department of Defense has established nine (9) Manufacturing Innovation Institutes as a valuable source of innovation for the defense industrial base. These Institutes are public-private partnerships designed to overcome the challenges faced by American manufacturing innovators in a variety of technology areas. While each Institute operates in its own unique ecosystem, the Institutes offer common capabilities that:
Consortia may seek to support their regional defense ecosystems through:
Estimated Total Program Funding:
