NPS to run major advanced manufacturing demo at RIMPAC 2026

The Naval Postgraduate School is preparing what organizers call the largest advanced manufacturing demonstration in Department of War history during RIMPAC 2026 in Hawaii. The exercise will test 3D printing, artificial intelligence, unmanned systems and distributed logistics across ships and shore sites to show how the fleet could make and move parts closer to where they are needed.

Why it matters: - RIMPAC 2026 will test whether advanced manufacturing can support real naval operations at scale, not just in a lab. - The effort is aimed at speeding repair parts, improving distributed logistics and strengthening fleet readiness across the Navy and joint force. - The exercise could show commanders how to produce mission-critical components closer to the operating area during contested operations.

What happened: - The Naval Postgraduate School’s Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education is preparing to support RIMPAC 2026 in Hawaii. - Organizers describe the effort as the largest advanced manufacturing demonstration ever conducted by the Department of War. - The demonstration will bring together military, government, academic, commercial and coalition partners. - RIMPAC 2026 includes 35 nations, about 40 surface ships, five submarines, more than 140 aircraft and 25,000 personnel across the Hawaiian Islands. - NPS students, faculty and partners will deploy advanced manufacturing systems aboard ships and at sites across Hawaii. - The team will produce replacement parts, support distributed logistics and evaluate technologies tied to fleet readiness. - CAMRE will integrate advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence and unmanned systems in a single operational demonstration for the first time. - The demonstration will run during RIMPAC 2026, which takes place July 2026.

The details: - CAMRE will show the full expeditionary manufacturing workflow, from a digital request to production, transport and delivery. - The goal is to prove digital manufacturing networks can deliver capabilities quickly wherever they are needed. - Instead of waiting days or weeks for parts through traditional supply chains, commanders could request a part digitally, locate the nearest qualified manufacturer, produce it near the operational area and deliver it to forces. - The distributed manufacturing network links military units, government organizations, industry, academic institutions and coalition partners. - The network catalogs equipment, technical expertise and production capacity across the enterprise. - When a requirement emerges, the network identifies the people, machines and materials able to make the solution quickly. - Researchers will evaluate metal powder production aboard a Canadian ship using technology developed through NPS partnerships. - That material will then be used to manufacture components at sea. - CAMRE will support RIMPAC counter-unmanned aircraft system experimentation with additively manufactured drone platforms. - Some of those drone systems were manufactured aboard ships during transit to Hawaii. - Others will be produced on the islands and assembled and flown during the exercise. - Other teams will demonstrate digitally crewed surface vessels that can autonomously deliver additively manufactured parts to U.S. and partner nation ships. - Those demonstrations will test logistics for distributed maritime operations. - Long-range operations with carriers and interoperability with L-Class ship well decks will be a first for the joint force. - The Joint Advanced Manufacturing Center links participating organizations through the Joint Advanced Manufacturing System, a digital command-and-control platform developed at NPS. - During RIMPAC, the system will integrate metal additive manufacturing aboard four naval vessels. - JAMS will receive manufacturing requests, assign production across the network and track parts from fabrication through delivery. - Ships will be able to make components for themselves and for other ships and forces ashore.

Between the lines: - The exercise is designed to answer operational questions that laboratory tests cannot. - Large-scale multinational activity across the Hawaiian Islands will stress logistics, coordination and command relationships. - Previous shipboard deployments showed that consumables such as shielding gas can become limiting factors. - That finding pushed researchers toward approaches that reduce logistics burdens while preserving manufacturing capability. - FLEETWERX serves as the bridge between government, academia and industry for the effort. - The partnership helps move emerging capabilities from research and development into operational use. - FLEETWERX also gives faculty and students a way to work on real defense problems with external operators and allied partners. - The demonstration is as much about partnerships and processes as it is about hardware.

What's next: - NPS researchers will use RIMPAC 2026 to identify challenges that only emerge in operational environments. - The results are expected to inform future efforts to manufacture, repair and deliver mission-critical components at sea and ashore. - The exercise will also give students and faculty a chance to work alongside fleet operators, engineers and industry partners. - CAMRE and FLEETWERX will continue using the exercise to help move advanced manufacturing from a laboratory capability to an operational tool.

The bottom line: - RIMPAC 2026 will be a large-scale test of whether distributed advanced manufacturing can become a practical part of military logistics and readiness.