Utah awarded $5M for the defense manufacturing support program

The Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED) has announced that it was awarded a total of $5 million for the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program (DMCSP) to undertake an $11,005,000 project to enhance the capabilities of the regional defense industrial ecosystem, with a focus on carbon composites and advanced materials.

In August, the state was selected as one of six Defense Manufacturing Communities in the nation as part of DMCSP, managed by the U.S. Department of Defense. The awarded project will include several initiatives to strengthen workforce development across the Utah Defense Manufacturing Community, including developing defense manufacturing apprenticeship programs and retraining workers displaced due to COVID-19.

“We express gratitude to the U.S. Department of Defense for this $5 million program,” said Val Hale, GOED’s executive director. “Utah’s aerospace, defense and manufacturing industry is strong, and we look forward to the great things that will be accomplished through this initiative.”

GOED leads the Utah Defense Manufacturing Community (UDMC) with the Utah Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative (UAMMI) as its partner. The UDMC consortium includes partners, supporters, national advisors and the Utah Industry Resource Alliance (UIRA). Community supporters include more than 70 organizations that will implement the programs developed by the UDMC. Advisors will provide a national perspective, including America Makes, American Manufacturing Community Collaborative, Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, Idaho National Labs, Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering and the American Composites Manufacturing Association.

The DMCSP is designed to support long-term community investments that strengthen national security innovation and expand the defense industrial ecosystem’s capabilities.