The Spare Parts Competition Act would allow defense contractors to use three-dimensional additive manufacturing technology to produce spare parts for the Department of Defense unless a specific contract explicitly prohibits it. The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment could waive this permission only when necessary for national security or to reduce costs. Within 180 days of the law's enactment, the Defense Logistics Agency must publicly release information about approved additive manufacturing designs, pending design applications, submission rates, and staffing capacity to evaluate new designs. The bill also requires the Defense Logistics Agency to submit a report to Congress explaining barriers to adopting additive manufacturing for spare parts and to implement recommendations from a 2023 Government Accountability Office report about spare parts tracking in the F-35 fighter jet program.
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