ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA — Joseph Jewell, Assistant Defense Secretary for Science and Technology, discussed the U.S. military's shift toward AI-enabled drone systems and field-manufactured weapons at the Defense One Tech Summit in Arlington, Virginia. Jewell outlined recent developments in military technology and production methods during his remarks.

Jewell observed that modern warfare is evolving to include the deployment of AI-controlled or AI-enabled drone systems. He pointed to the conflict in Ukraine, noting that relatively undetectable weapon systems were produced in large quantities and demonstrated against Russian naval forces. "The fact that you can bring relevant capability to the fight, as the Ukrainians and allies have done in the conflict with Russia, that essentially didn't exist at the beginning of the fight. That's the new thing here." Jewell said. He added that the U.S. has the industrial resources to operate at a similar scale, or to do so in a more sophisticated manner.

During the summit, Jewell discussed an experiment conducted by Marines in the Pacific region, where they manufactured shaped charges using 3D printers and locally sourced materials. These materials included plastic water bottles, crushed volcanic rock, coconut husks, and coffee grounds. Jewell stated that they all detonated, and noted the volcanic rocks were most effective.

The 3D-printed shaped charges exhibited 25% better focusing characteristics compared to conventionally manufactured high explosives. Jewell explained that this method reduced the time to point-of-use by 99% because the items could be created in the field using materials available in the Indo-Pacific. Defense officials are now planning for containerized production facilities equipped with 3D printers to produce explosives, biodiesel, and jet fuel in forward locations. "We envision a future where you have a containerized production facility for potentially the ingredients for that, potentially including the 3D printer to pump out the shaped charges. And then you can drop, say, a CONEX box in the field where you need, so it can produce biodiesel, it can produce jet fuel." Jewell said.

The Defense Department holds tens of thousands of technological patents and generates approximately $20 million annually from them. As of mid-June, 14 patents were cleared for commercial use, one was licensed for a fee, and 36 applications were pending, with an additional 145 applications submitted. BioMADE, a Department of Defense-sponsored Manufacturing Innovation Institute, contributes to these efforts by developing technologies such as bioengineered thermal coatings for drones.

No independent assessment of Joseph Jewell’s claims was available.