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USACA made our first major push this month to build congressional and executive branch support for our primary policy and investment priorities for this year.
Our top two proposals for the annual appropriations cycle are for a new workforce initiative focused on advanced ceramics training and a new federal program dedicated to accelerating the development of transparent ceramics for advanced military sensors.
Both were the focus of a series of March meetings between USACA members and congressional offices and committee staff during our Spring Technical Meeting.
‘Workforce crisis’: The workforce pitch calls for $10 million under the Pentagon’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program to help address workforce development challenges “for what is no less than a ceramic engineering workforce crisis,” our appropriations proposal states.
Known as the Advanced Ceramics Training Initiative for Operational Needs, or ACTION, the program would partner with universities to create regional training hubs with state-of-the- art equipment for advanced ceramics fabrication, integration, and testing, as well as scholarships for students to pursue ceramic engineering degrees.
Taking action: “The shrinking workforce of ceramic engineers threatens the future of America’s war-fighting capabilities,” our proposal states. The ACTION effort “will help alleviate labor shortages in the advanced ceramics manufacturing industry. Over time, these efforts will ensure the continued production of war-fighting technologies that rely on advanced ceramics, as well as the uninterrupted support for research and development in this field.”
The training initiative, the proposal concludes, “will ensure a steady pipeline of skilled workers with the essential knowledge and expertise for war-fighting industry applications.”
Crystal clear vision: USACA’s other big push is for a $10 million investment in the Pentagon’s Manufacturing Science and Technology Program for “improved transparent ceramics windows” for electro-optical and infrared sensors.
The specialized materials, designed to operate in harsh battlefield environments, are needed for the most advanced military radars, radio frequency antennas, and other high-tech battlefield sensors that the armed forces depend on.
“Missile defense, precision weapons, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) platforms, and the emerging ‘Golden Dome’ layered defense system require durable EO/IR (electro-optical infrared) and RF (radio frequency) transparent ceramic windows capable of operating in extreme environments to protect on‑board seekers and sensors allowing them to 'see' targets in severe flight and re‑entry conditions,” the USACA funding proposal states.
Economic benefits: The initiative would also have a far reaching impact in building a more robust advanced ceramics industry for the future.
“The investments in nanocrystalline transparent ceramics will strengthen U.S. economic security by establishing new domestic production capacity and expanding ceramic manufacturing operations in Massachusetts, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Colorado," according to the USACA proposal.
USACA’s appropriations push for Fiscal Year 2027 will be a continuing focus of our interactions with Congress and the executive branch in the coming months.
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