El ej\u00e9rcito estadounidense depende excesivamente de fuentes extranjeras para obtener materiales cr\u00edticos. El Pent\u00e1gono necesita invertir en los procesos de fabricaci\u00f3n del futuro impulsando la innovaci\u00f3n en materiales estadounidenses y aprovechando la inteligencia artificial, seg\u00fan afirmaron funcionarios en una reciente conferencia del sector.La fabricaci\u00f3n eficiente es clave para brindar capacidades cr\u00edticas al combatiente con velocidad y escala, independientemente de la ubicaci\u00f3n<\/p>\n
HONOLULU<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 The U.S. military currently relies too heavily on foreign sources for critical materials. The Pentagon needs to invest in the manufacturing processes of the future by boosting U.S. materials innovation and leveraging artificial intelligence, officials said at a recent industry conference.<\/p>\n Efficient manufacturing is key to delivering critical capabilities to the warfighter at speed and scale, regardless of location, said Tracy Frost, director of the technology innovation industrial base in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we can\u2019t make it securely, if we can\u2019t make it where they\u2019re at, we can\u2019t get it to them,\u201d Frost said during a panel discussion at the National Defense Industrial Association\u2019s recent 2025 Pacific Operational Science and Technology Conference. \u201cIf we can\u2019t make the quantity they need, and we can\u2019t make it at a cost that\u2019s affordable, then we can\u2019t equip our warfighters with the best capability out there when they need it.\u201d<\/p>\n The department\u2019s goal is to minimize and eliminate reliance on foreign sources of critical materials by pushing for the advanced development and discovery of new materials or new uses for materials, a concept Aisha Haynes, principal director for advanced materials in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, called \u201cmaterials innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n Critical materials such as rare earth elements are used in a variety of components found in defense systems \u2014 from batteries to lightweight metal. While the United States has an abundance of these elements in the ground, the majority of critical material refineries are in China, allowing the nation to have a near monopoly on their production and leaving the United States in a \u201cmaterial crisis,\u201d Haynes said.<\/p>\n \u201cOur adversaries have figured out how to deny us access to critical materials that we need in order to ensure that we can move our technologies forward,\u201d Haynes said. \u201cIt is very, very important to ensure that we figure out how to circumvent that and fast.\u201d<\/p>\n The gap in the United States\u2019 ability to produce materials, components and defense technologies compared to its adversaries has widened, leaving its supply chains vulnerable, Haynes said.<\/p>\n It is \u201cimperative\u201d the department invest in materials innovation and artificial intelligence to build more autonomy into modern manufacturing processes and bolster the development cycle, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure that, given the current climate [and] our global standing in terms of materials, without using these advanced tools, we\u2019re going to be able to get over some of those barriers and accelerate those technologies,\u201d Haynes said. \u201cWe can\u2019t afford to wait 20 years, we can\u2019t afford to wait 50 years for the next silicon-based solution.\u201d<\/p>\n Reducing the length of the development cycle and the time it takes to deploy critical capabilities is where AI and autonomy can help improve traditional processes and circumvent supply chain issues.<\/p>\n Greg Hudas, acting director of sustainment technology in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, said the problem with AI in manufacturing is that the department is grappling with the \u201cthe data problem\u201d of conducting both robust data collection and efficient data analysis.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t have AI without the data, and that\u2019s going to be essential,\u201d Hudas said. \u201cIt also incurs costs. And then how do we treat that as a capability and\/or a product? That\u2019s going to be important.\u201d<\/p>\n Since data storage and analysis play an important role in AI and materials innovation, the department must also prioritize efficient data-sharing with allies, Hudas said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy should we have duplicate data sets if we\u2019re working closely in a joint force atmosphere with our allies?\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve definitely got to look at that.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to bolstering materials innovation and leveraging AI, Hudas said the Defense Department must adequately understand and anticipate gaps in manufacturing technology.<\/p>\n \u201cHow can we start to extrapolate the gaps that are coming?\u201d he said. \u201cThese technologies are transformative. We don\u2019t want to do any incremental things here. We have funding across the department to do this. We want to transform [and] get these things out there, but we need to understand those gaps.\u201d<\/p>\n Manufacturing is not strictly a defense problem, Haynes added.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that we\u2019re losing access to critical materials, I think there\u2019s an opportunity for us to pull together and start to work toward how we [can] build the manufacturing space for materials of the future,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n