Editor’s note: This is the first article in a two-part series exploring additive manufacturing.The Pentagon has poured unprecedented funds into additive manufacturing as a potential game-changer for defense production. For example, in fiscal year 2024, the Department of Defense allocated roughly $800 million for additive, which was a 166% increase from the prior year. By FY2026, projects involving 3D printing will swell to an estimated $3.3 billion, based on the budget request. That may sound enormous, but it is still only a small fraction of a research, development, test, and evaluation budget north of $100 billion. The appeal makes senseThe post The Additive Manufacturing Mirage in Defense appeared first on War on the Rocks.