Relational, Mission-Focused Ecosystems Are the Future of Resilient Manufacturing

Written by Eric Versluys. View on LinkedIn.

“It’s not what you know – it’s who you know.”

There is truth in that statement. Not in the cronyistic sense, but in a healthy way that helps us be more effective as designers and manufacturers. As I reflect on my first year at The Barnes Global Advisors and look back on my career, I see a common thread and theme that have driven my career; service to our nation, and building relationships and community for a common purpose.

Twenty years ago, I stood on the yellow footprints at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) San Diego and started a journey of service to our nation that continues to this day. It was an honor to wear the uniform of the fiercest fighting force on the planet, and to serve alongside amazing warriors. During my time in the United States Marine Corps, our nation’s soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen fought against violent actors in the Middle East and trained to respond to the saber rattling from rouge nations like North Korea and Iran. Now we face a different threat - one that not only puts our friends and neighbors in harm's way but threatens to tear the fabric of our very way of life.

Outside of serving in the Marines I completed my mechanical engineering degree and started working at the Lockheed Martin Skunkworks, bringing advanced technology into fruition and into production. Once I made the decision to hang up the uniform, it was still important for me to be doing something for the brothers and sisters in our armed forces who put themselves in harm's way. As an engineer, I wanted to use my time and talents to give them the tools to be more effective at what they do, and make sure they came home safe to their families. Over my fourteen years at the Skunkworks, I had the privilege of working on some incredible advances in aircraft and sensor technology, most of which cannot be shared. The highlight of my career, however, while it did not have a direct impact on the warfighter, allowed their work and their world-class capabilities to be shown to the world: I led the creation of the X-72 Darkstar aircraft featured in Top Gun - Maverick.

By far the most challenging aspect of building the full-scale aircraft for a major motion picture was the insane timeline. Paramount Pictures came to the Skunkworks in 2018 because they had a firm fixed date for filming on a classified Navy base, and they needed a team who was known for getting things done fast. Our small Skunk team and a few key subcontractors took a concept model on a computer screen and had a full-scale aircraft model sitting on the deck at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake - in less than twelve weeks. Filming went off without any major hitches, and after a pause for COVID, we were finally able to share our work in 2022. Through the movie, we were able to showcase the incredible skill and capability of the US military and inspire younger generations to put their hand in the air and serve our nation with honor.

While we used advanced manufacturing technologies like additive manufacturing and rapid composite tooling to make the Darkstar a success, the biggest factor was the relationships we had built within our team and with subcontractors who were willing to work with us on such a tight timeline to meet our deadline. We were able to move fast because we trusted each other to be competent, to be honest, and to be focused on the common goal.

Now, as we reach the quarter point of the 21st century, we are facing one of the largest threats to our way of life, with authoritarians having much more capability and the willingness to use their tools against their neighbors and their own people. The PRC military is getting close to reaching numerical parity with us while they oppress minority groups, harass and bully their neighbors, and implement aggressive and coercive economic policies against the rest of the free world.

The last time the United States actively faced a global existential threat was just over 80 years ago when we countered Axis aggression on two fronts with an immense industrial base that dwarfed the capacity of Germany and Japan. As Admiral Nimitz said of the Marines on Iwo Jima, “uncommon valor was a common virtue.” While that was true in innumerable cases around the global conflagration, the American industrial base kept our soldiers, sailors, and Marines equipped and in the fight. After the war, the industrial base helped grow the US into the economic powerhouse that we have enjoyed for the last 80 years.

Unfortunately, if we were to find ourselves in a similar situation with China and Russia today, we do not have the overwhelming industrial might to respond the way we did in the 1940’s. That mantle is now held by China, and you can extrapolate where that would take us if we ended up in a protracted conflict with the PRC.

I have heard it said that we do not have to be concerned about China’s industrial might, because advanced manufacturing will allow us to be so much more efficient that we can counter their industrial mass. While there is some validity in that statement, we cannot rely on advanced manufacturing as the solution to this problem. Just like with the Darkstar, relationships are key. Being able to trust our neighbors and rely on them when needed are how ecosystems grow. Manufacturing is inherently local, and competency, honesty, and communication are the sinews that allow the digital manufacturing innovation to work to its true potential.

Regional, mission focused manufacturing ecosystems are the key to developing the resilience, the flexibility, and the capability to enable manufacturing to support a vibrant economy, a strong national defense, and a resilient nation. When you find yourself in a tough situation, having friends and neighbors you can call on makes all the difference.

This is why I love the work we do at TBGA - to help develop the advanced manufacturing tools that enable tomorrow’s technology and prosperity, to build the ecosystems that foster those relationships and connections, and to support and equip our warriors who stand guard against those who want to do us harm.