Navy Manufacturing Technology (ManTech)
Managed within the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the Navy ManTech Program provides for the development of enabling manufacturing technology and the transition of this technology for the production and sustainment of Navy weapon systems to support the Fleet. Navy ManTech is currently focused on shipbuilding affordability. Reducing the acquisition cost of current and future platforms is a critical goal of the Navy, and ManTech aids in achieving this goal by developing and transitioning key manufacturing technology.
Transition of technology is key to Navy ManTech success. Advances in manufacturing technology are useful to the Navy only if they result in implementation in the production of weapon systems. Transition of manufacturing processes to private and government industrial entities that manufacture and repair systems and components for the Fleet is the goal of every ManTech project.
The Navy ManTech Program works with defense contractors, the Naval Research Enterprise, Navy acquisition Program Offices, and academia to develop improved processes and equipment. Project success is measured by implementation of these technologies on the factory floor and rapid transition to the Fleet to support Navy warfighters. It is structured to provide maximum dissemination of the results of ManTech projects and to promote early implementation to strengthen the defense industrial base. With their expertise in specific technology areas, the Navy ManTech Centers of Excellence (COEs) play a key role in the definition and execution of the Navy ManTech Program.
There are many customers of the Navy ManTech Program. They range from the acquisition Program Managers (PMs) and industry responsible for transitioning major Navy weapon systems from development into production, to the logistics managers at the naval depots and shipyards responsible for repair, overhaul, and remanufacture of major weapon systems. Additional beneficiaries of the Navy ManTech Program include the other Services and academia.
The Navy ManTech Program is part of the Department of Defense (DoD) ManTech Program, managed by the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Defense, Advanced Systems & Concepts, which has oversight of the ManTech programs of the Services and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). These organizations, together with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), coordinate their programs through the auspices of the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel (JDMTP) consisting of the ManTech directors of the Services, DLA, and MDA with advisory representation from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Department of Energy, and industry. The JDMTP is organized to identify and integrate requirements, conduct joint program planning, and develop joint strategies.
Objectives
The overall objective of the Navy ManTech Program is to significantly improve the affordability and improve mission capability of Department of the Navy systems by engaging in manufacturing initiatives that address the entire weapon system life-cycle and that enable the timely transition of technology to industry and to the Fleet.
More specifically, DoD 4200.15 states that investments should:
- Aid in the economical and timely acquisition and sustainment of weapon systems and components.
- Ensure that advanced manufacturing processes, techniques, and equipment are available for reducing DoD materiel acquisition, maintenance, and repair costs.
- Advance the maturity of manufacturing processes to bridge the gap from research and development advances to full-scale production.
- Promote capital investment and industrial innovation in new plants and equipment by reducing the cost and risk of advancing and applying new and improved manufacturing technology.
- Ensure that manufacturing technologies used to produce DoD materiel are consistent with safety and environmental considerations and energy conservation objectives.
- Provide for the dissemination of Program results throughout the industrial base.
- Sustain and enhance the skills and capabilities of the manufacturing work force, and promote high levels of worker education and training.
- Meet other national defense needs...