US Army announces 1st ever 'manufacturing rodeo' to test industrial base, supply chains

The US Army will launch its first-ever “manufacturing rodeo” early year to test the resilience of military production facilities, expose supply chain vulnerabilities and assess the ability of American manufacturers to meet the military’s equipment needs at scale, Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle announced Monday.

Telle unveiled the initiative during the opening ceremony of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) National Convention in Washington, describing the event as a competitive test designed to challenge both the Army’s Organic Industrial Base (OIB) and the broader US manufacturing network.

“The US Army is going to do something we’ve never done before: early year we will conduct what I’m calling a manufacturing rodeo — a race between our industrial base partners that strains our organic industrial base, stresses the supply chain, pressures manufacturing processes, and shows us exactly where it breaks,” Telle said.

The exercise will focus on identifying weaknesses in production systems and supply chains under pressure, allowing the Army to determine where additional investment, process improvements or new manufacturing capabilities may be needed.

Telle said the Army intends to use practical testing rather than relying solely on planning and analysis to evaluate its industrial capacity.

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