The USA’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) now treats additive manufacturing as critical defence infrastructure and officially prohibits the operation or procurement of additive manufacturing machines that are manufactured in, have software developed in, or are networked through China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea by the Department of Defense (DoD).
President Trump signed the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2026 into law this week. China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are considered ‘strategic adversaries’ of the United States.
In the NDAA these countries are referred to as 'covered nations' (section 4872 of title 10, United States Code), with the law affecting any entity that produces or provides additive manufacturing machines and is domiciled in a covered nation or is subject to unmitigated foreign ownership, control, or influence by a covered nation, as determined by the Secretary of Defense in accordance with the National Industrial Security Program (or any successor to such program).
The prohibition under Sec 849(a) of the NDAA does not apply to the procurement of additive manufacturing systems or machines for the purposes of intelligence, electronic warfare, or information warfare operations, testing, analysis, or training.
Sam Davies
CORRECTION NOTICE
A prior version of this article stated that USA’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) had made several commitments relating to the application of additive manufacturing technology, as listed below. However, though section numbers 220A(a), Sec. 220A(b), Sec. 220A(c), and Sec. 220A(e) passed the Senate, they did not pass the House and appear not to have been signed into law by President Trump in December 2025. In the United States, the House and Senate pass their own versions of a bill, debate and amend the respective bills, and then a revised version will be signed into law.
The sections of the bill that were not signed into law were:
- 220A(a) - A commitment to qualify and approve for manufacturing and delivery not fewer than 1,000,000 parts or components of the Department of Defense that use advanced manufacturing techniques, with funding subject to the availability of appropriations or other funds.
- 220A(b) - Certification of new materials and processes to manufacture 25-100% of the parts of a small unmanned aerial system used as a tactical loitering munitions, a small unmanned aerial system used for surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and a small unmanned system used for logistics missions.
- 220A(c) - Undertaking of a program to produce replacement parts for military systems with diminishing manufacturing sources and material shortages using advanced or additive manufacturing techniques not later than September 30, 2026.
- 220A(d) Undertaking of a program to additively manufacture metal parts, with a focus on long lead times and sole-source suppliers not later than September 30, 2026.
- 220A(e) - Undertaking of a program to additively manufacture parts for Ground Combat Systems that prioritise interoperability across military platforms and integration with other military services.
Access the full National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026 here.
Search for sections 849 to get the full details on the most significant AM-related developments.
