A “disruptive technology,” the “third industrial revolution,” an element of “strategic latency,” or a game changer in tomorrow’s wars, there seems to be no death of forecasts when it comes to describing the transformational potential of 3D printing.
3D printing promises to touch every facet of American life, including the military. In the American Foreign Policy Council’s latest Defense Dossier, Research Associate and CReST Fellow Jennifer McArdle assesses the impact of this technology, as well as its ability to best meet the warfighter’s needs of the future. Her article comes to the conclusion that, absent an effort on the part of the Department of Defense (DoD) to engage in a profound recasting of its organizational structure, 3D printing will not be leveraged to its full potential. Several policy prescriptions are provided as potential ways forward for future DoD action.