Recently signed into law, the U.S. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) changes the rules governing additive manufacturing in defense.
The legislation establishes country-specific procurement requirements for additive manufacturing equipment, while also directing improvements to advanced manufacturing qualification and supply-chain policies.
Most critically, Section 849 of the enacted NDAA prohibits the Secretary of Defense from entering into procurement contracts for covered additive manufacturing machines from December 18, 2026, one year after enactment. An exception covers procurement for intelligence, electronic warfare, or information warfare operations, testing, analysis, or training.
Which equipment providers fall within the restrictions?
Under the NDAA, China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are designated as “covered nations” (Section 4872 of Title 10, U.S. Code). The definition of a covered additive manufacturing company includes 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.
The definition also covers equipment providers on the U.S. Consolidated Screening List or the Section 1260H civil-military fusion list. Related services and equipment supplied by a covered company are included in the definition of a covered machine.
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 will be restricted from procuring covered AM platforms even when the resulting parts meet applicable sourcing requirements. This shifts compliance expectations toward equipment ownership, governance, 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, Section 1846 requires a review of advanced manufacturing qualification, acceptance, and supply-chain policies. The review is due by September 30, 2026, followed by guidance by September 30, 2027. This includes process-level qualification and shared validation data across the services. Section 345 also directs the Navy to investigate, and adopt as feasible, technologies including additive manufacturing to improve surface ship maintenance.
While this alert highlights new compliance obligations and timelines, it remains for many a potential opportunity to support the Department of Defense (DoD).
Go deeper: The earlier S. 2296 bill is available for comparison. The enacted law addresses additive manufacturing in Sections 345, 849 and 1846.
Source: Public Law 119-60, enacted December 18, 2025.
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