Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby attended the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) Summit at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, Virginia, April 29.
Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby attended the Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing (ATDM) Summit at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) in Danville, Virginia, April 29.
The visit demonstrates the Navy's commitment to strengthen integration with the industrial base to maintain and modernize shipbuilding and develop and field new capabilities.
Kilby delivered the keynote address at the summit and stressed the importance of partnering with industry and harnessing innovation in the maritime industrial base to deliver and support a lethal naval force.
"I can assure you that ATDM is contributing to a national movement that is making America stronger, safer, and more secure," said Kilby. "The work you're doing matters to our military, our economy, and the future of this country."
Kilby discussed key shipbuilding and maintenance initiatives, including fielding new capabilities such as additive manufacturing.
"In our shipyards, in our manufacturing plants, and in our support organizations, we are reducing maintenance delays, and we are moving faster," said Kilby. "Every time we 3D-print a part that would otherwise take 40 weeks to procure, we are putting more capability back into the field. That is real, measurable readiness."
While at the institute, Kilby also met with industry leaders from Austal USA and toured the National Training Center and the Center for Manufacturing Advancement to review initiatives that include industrial automation, robotics, artificial intelligence and digital technologies.
ATDM was established under the direction of the Navy's Maritime Industrial Base Program to train the future workforce and operationalize an innovation hub for advanced manufacturing.
