“It’s the perfect marriage of Michiganders having the best manufacturing tradition in the country; fifth- and sixth-generation tradesmen, building precision tools with AI and tech of the future.”
DETROIT, MI – Last week, U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) hosted Army Secretary Dan Driscoll in Michigan to showcase the state’s leadership in the future of U.S. defense manufacturing.
The visit included the Detroit Arsenal, where the Army is 3D-printing Patriot missile parts in weeks instead of years, advancing innovations in AI and robotics, and using virtual reality to design the future of defense. The tour also included the Ground Vehicle Systems Center, where Michigan’s modeling and simulation capabilities are shortening the time from concept to fielded systems, and NewLab in downtown Detroit, a growing defense innovation hub now home to almost 150 companies at the revitalized Michigan Central.
From Michigan’s legacy as WWII’s “Arsenal of Democracy,” to becoming today’s arsenal of innovation, Michigan is proving it has the ability to deliver advanced capabilities at the speed needed to meet the demands of modern warfare.
Read Defense News Article Covering the Visit Here.
Key Excerpts from Defense News:
- The Detroit Arsenal in Warren, Michigan, is now 3D printing Patriot missile parts in weeks, advancing robotics and strapping virtual reality headsets on Army leadership to simulate how future weapons are being developed.
- In World War II, Detroit, Michigan, became the “Arsenal of Democracy,” churning out tanks, jeeps and bombers. Now, 85 years later, Michigan is again pitching itself as America’s factory floor for the future of warfare — except this time, the tools of defense are drones powered by artificial intelligence and made with 3D-printed parts in record time.
- “Basically 60% of what an Army soldier drives or shoots comes out of Michigan,” Slotkin told Defense News in an interview Friday. “We are a big producer and manufacturer for the Army and, of course, [the Army’s] transformation initiative went right to the heart of how [Driscoll] sees the force of the future.”
- “He saw everything from really cool programs of the future related to drones and tanks and ground vehicles,” Slotkin said of Driscoll’s visit. “He put on some [virtual reality] headsets and looked at one of our growing areas of expertise, which is modeling and simulation,” she noted, which helps to “shorten the string between having an idea and fielding it.”
- “It’s the perfect marriage of Michiganders having the best manufacturing tradition in the country; fifth- and sixth-generation tradesmen, building precision tools with AI and tech of the future,” Slotkin said. “They’ve launched multimillion-dollar programs right out of downtown Detroit.”
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