How Marines are 3D Printing Lethality Behind Enemy Lines
Posted on April 11, 2025 by Johannes Schmidt and Col. Paul Gillikin and CWO3 Matt Pine
An AM Marine talks to a member of the Northern Territory Chamber of Commerce about local manufacturing capability at the Land Forces 2024 Symposium.
Logistics in a Contested Environment: A New Operational Reality
Although Washington’s military focus over the past three decades has centered on counterinsurgency operations in the Middle East, the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS) marked a critical shift, as revisionist powers reignited long-term strategic competition across regions and theaters of operation. Chief among them, China — America’s pacing threat — has moved with speed and intent, creating flashpoints in the Indo-Pacific, complicating U.S. posture in the Middle East, and reshaping the strategic calculus in Eastern Europe.
“The world is a dangerous place, as evidenced by Putin’s adventures in Ukraine, the war between Israel and Hamas, the aggressive behavior of China, and other threats from Iran and North Korea,” said Glenn Lamartin, an acquisition expert and adjunct professor at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy. “These actors share neither our values nor our interests, and their behavior contravenes them. Because of this, we have recognized that our acquisition architecture needs to be fast and agile to respond to — and be resilient in the face of — these challenges.”
In this new era of great power competition, navigating logistics in a contested environment has become a critical challenge, with adversaries targeting supply chains to disrupt U.S. military capabilities. Ensuring rapid and resilient resupply is thus essential for combat effectiveness.
https://seapowermagazine.org/how-marines-are-3d-printing-lethality-behind-enemy-lines/
