Recently signed into law, the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) changes the rules governing additive manufacturing in defense.
The technology is now considered critical defense infrastructure, subject to defined requirements covering security, software governance, data sovereignty, and scalable qualification. The legislation also establishes firm boundaries on the use of foreign-linked additive manufacturing systems, while simultaneously accelerating the deployment of production-ready AM across sustainment activities, shipyards, and operational programs.
Most critically, the NDAA prohibits the use or acquisition of additive manufacturing equipment produced in, digitally connected to, or controlled by software from China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea, absent a national-interest waiver.
Under the NDAA, these countries are designated as “covered nations” (Section 4872 of Title 10, U.S. Code), and the law applies to any entity that manufactures or supplies additive manufacturing equipment and is either domiciled in a covered nation or subject to unmitigated foreign ownership, control, or influence by such a nation, as determined by the Secretary of Defense in accordance with the National Industrial Security Program or its successor.
Importantly, the NDAA targets manufacturing capability, not just finished products, by focusing on who supplies, controls, and services additive manufacturing equipment rather than solely where an end item is produced. As a result, the DoD may restrict the use of adversary-linked AM platforms even when the resulting parts meet applicable sourcing requirements. This shifts compliance expectations toward equipment ownership, governance, software, and service relationships, requiring vendors to reassess potential foreign ownership, control, or influence across their manufacturing ecosystem.
The ultimate goal : Accelerate the adoption of AM across the DoD
To further accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing across the DoD, the NDAA aims to enable the qualification and approval of up to one million AM parts, move toward performance-based qualification with shared validation data across the services, establish secure dual-use advanced manufacturing hubs, and prioritise on-demand 3D-printed parts to improve readiness and reduce sustainment delays, including for U.S. Navy surface ship maintenance.
While this alert highlights new compliance obligations, timelines, it remains for many a potential opportunity to support the Department of Defense (DoD).
Go deeper : The full bill is available here, with additive manufacturing-related developments detailed in Sections 220 (A and B), 322, and 880.
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