ASTRO America releases implementation plan for the Guam Additive Materials & Manufacturing Accelerator

The Applied Science & Technology Research Organization of America (ASTRO) announced the delivery of an implementation plan to build the Guam Additive Materials & Manufacturing Accelerator, “GAMMA,” based on three pillars: Workforce Development and Training, Component Testing and Evaluation, and Incubation and Support of Manufacturing Companies on the island.

“I strongly believe GAMMA can revolutionize Guam’s economy, and establish the island as a part-manufacturing hub in the Indo-Pacific region,” said ASTRO President Neal Orringer. “ASTRO America stands committed to helping realize Governor Leon Guerrero’s vision, and chart a course for the island’s future in on-demand production.”

The report emphasizes that the two primary goals of GAMMA should be to promote U.S. national security and diversify the economy in cooperation with the federal government. Of particular note, Guam provides an opportunity to support the readiness and resilience of the U.S. and allied submarine supply chains. Accordingly, GAMMA will serve as a supporter of the U.S. Navy’s Program Executive Office Strategic Submarines (PEO SSBN), which is responsible for the life cycle management of U.S. strategic submarines. GAMMA will thus contribute to the development of the Indo-Pacific industrial submarine base and strengthen the technological capabilities of the US, UK and Australia in submarine construction.

Initially, the U.S. Navy will be the primary customer and funding source for GAMMA, which will include facilities for workforce training, testing and evaluation of ship parts, and prototype development and supply chain maturation. New infrastructure will provide high-quality training and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities on the island, which can also be applied to a wide range of commercial industries in the Indo-Pacific in the long term.

A key component of GAMMA is a satellite campus of a U.S. mainland university on Guam, located on the grounds of the University of Guam. ASTRO supports the University of Guam and Guam Community College in partnering with a leading academic institution in manufacturing education and technical research. This partnership will enable the awarding of joint certificates and associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees for students on the island. In addition, ASTRO will help establish the only industrial metal parts inspection and validation laboratory within thousands of miles.

“For two years, ASTRO, commissioned by GEDA and BSP, has grown a body of expertise on developing industrial AM capabilities in Guam,” said Governor Leon Guerrero. “As we move toward making GAMMA a reality, we will continue to work with our partners to diversify Guam’s economy and establish the island as a center of excellence for additive manufacturing, particularly for the United States Navy’s submarine force. I am pleased that so much of our island’s talent and expertise is being utilized to create new job opportunities for Guam and contribute to America’s national security interests.”

Next steps in the implementation plan include activities supported by PEO SSBN in partnership with the non-profit organization Blue Forge Alliance. These include the enrollment of five students from Guam in the U.S. Navy’s Accelerated Training in Defense Manufacturing in Danville, Virginia, and an educational workshop at the Colorado School of Mines with participants from UOG, GCC, GEDA, and ASTRO and Navy personnel.