INDOPACOM’s ‘expeditionary foundry’ is another step toward the 3D

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii —A propeller blade that would take 18 months to replace. Parts for an expandable office that would cost hundreds of dollars to buy. A howitzer bracket that is unavailable at any price. All printed and replaced in a matter of hours at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s new advanced manufacturing facility.

“The Forge,” which its director calls the world’s only “expeditionary foundry,” isn’t meant to produce mountains of parts. Instead, the idea is to make one-of-a-kind prototypes and small batches of items that can be tested and proven for use in the military or commercial industry. It sprung from an idea about how to produce high-quality, high-precision parts at sea—as would likely be necessary during a war in the Pacific—and is envisioned as a step toward a 10,000-s