DoW Accelerates Drone Readiness with AMTrain Phase 2 Launch at Camp Lejeune

Equipping today’s warfighter with the most advanced technology is paramount, driving increased prioritization and investment in drone development and advanced manufacturing training within the Department of War (DoW).

In this evolving landscape, America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, is playing a central role through its AMTrain platform. Positioned at the intersection of workforce development and technological advancement, AMTrain offers a potential pathway to strengthening U.S. drone dominance while reducing reliance on non-domestic component sources. Through its Education and Workforce Development (EWD) portfolio, the Institute is delivering targeted training that demonstrates the practical application of additive manufacturing (AM) to enhance military drone capabilities.

At its core, AMTrain is a training-alignment platform that connects a curated “card catalog” of best-practice AM courses to defined job roles and competencies. This structure enables the DoW and its industry partners to map, track, and ultimately close workforce skills gaps across the additive manufacturing enterprise.

To support this mission, the Institute deployed AMTrain in 2022 as a centralized resource for state-of-the-art, vendor-agnostic training assets. These resources promote best-practice sharing and improve overall force readiness, supporting applications such as mission-specific payload customization, on-demand spare parts production in contested logistics environments, and repair in expeditionary settings.

Building on this foundation, America Makes launched Phase 2 development of AMTrain in March 2025, with Camp Lejeune selected as one of the initial pilot sites. During two recent visits, the Institute’s EWD team engaged directly with Marines and active-duty service members, gathering real-world feedback to refine training pathways, enhance platform usability, and ensure alignment with mission-critical needs.

“Our work on AMTrain provides a robust platform to upskill active-duty service members in AM,” said Ed Herderick, EWD Director at America Makes. “By integrating user feedback and continuously improving the system, we ensure service members have the latest skills to leverage AM and advanced manufacturing, boosting readiness and strengthening the defense industrial base, including the adoption of drones and other innovative technologies.”

Potential impact of AM

The U.S. military’s drive to rapidly advance and apply technology in pursuit of global drone dominance creates a natural gateway for adopting AM. Digital by nature, AM offers significant potential for producing drone bodies, chassis, and components. It allows for the creation of unique geometries and the integration of different materials with varying energy densities. This enables rapid production, cost efficiency, customization, and lead time reduction.

AM is creating new opportunities across the DoW by strengthening cross-training, improving collaboration, and enhancing interoperability. As capabilities grow and initiatives like AMTrain support consistent, shared learning, teams can more easily exchange knowledge, align practices, and work toward unified solutions. This coordinated approach reduces redundancy, accelerates innovation, and boosts readiness, ensuring the department fully benefits from AM’s expanding potential.

AMTrain is designed to close critical workforce gaps by standardizing AM training across roles and services, guiding learners to the right training at the right time, and continuously evolving through user-informed updates. In doing so, it directly supports broader readiness and modernization goals across the DoW.

Building on this foundation, Phase 2 of AMTrain advanced the platform as a unified, mission-driven solution. While Phase 1 established the core competency mapping and system architecture, such as linking AM skills to role-specific training, Phase 2 focuses on validation and expansion through direct field input. This iterative approach enhances usability while ensuring the platform remains relevant, scalable, and aligned with real-world operational demands.

Advanced drone training capabilities

During the visit to Camp Lejeune, the America Makes team documented a drone assembly exercise using additively manufactured structural parts conducted by military personnel. The resulting footage will serve as a training and demonstration resource, preserving practical techniques and best practices observed on the ground. By capturing real-world assembly workflows, the Institute is shaping a process that allows the U.S. military to systematically refine procedures, strengthen readiness, and amplify the effectiveness of AM training.

Over time, this knowledge base will help standardize methods, accelerate adoption of AM-enabled capabilities, and deliver sustained benefits across the U.S. military.

Looking Ahead

AMTrain’s long-term vision is to deliver personalized, competency-based AM training that unifies and accelerates learning, standardizes certifications, and strengthens mission-critical capabilities across military and industry. This approach reduces inter-service barriers, speeds access to critical AM parts, and shifts the culture from service-specific solutions to joint, coordinated impact.

By aligning education, training, and certifications, America Makes and its partners aim to ensure that what begins at Camp Lejeune and other AMTrain pilot sites becomes a national model for military readiness, enhancing collaboration, efficiency, and effectiveness across the defense enterprise.

Learn more about AMTrain and other EWD digital assets at https://www.americamakes.us/amnation/tools/.

 About the Author:

Eartha Hopkins is the Content Coordinator for America Makes at the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), a role she began in 2024. Before joining America Makes, Hopkins served as communications specialist for The Red Zone, where she led internal and external rebranding and marketing efforts, and also worked as a communications consultant supporting organizations such as The Raymond John Wean Foundation and the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from The Ohio State University.

Acknowledgment: This material is based on research sponsored by Air Force Research Laboratory under Agreement Number FA8650-20-2-5700. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Governmental purposes, notwithstanding any copyright notation thereon.

Disclaimer: The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of Air Force Research Laboratory or the U.S. Government.

Interested in how drones and 3D printing are coming together in real-world military and industrial applications? These topics will also be explored at the Additive Manufacturing Strategies UAS: The Present and Future of Drone Manufacturing event on June 30, 2026.