Military leaders showcase innovative construction technologies that promise faster builds and better facilities for service members
In a significant shift toward modernization, Army and Navy officials recently presented innovative construction techniques to House lawmakers that could revolutionize how military facilities are built. The focus on 3D printing and mass timber construction signals a new approach to creating more resilient, cost-effective structures for service members.
Dave Morrow, director of military programs for Army Corps of Engineers, and Keith Hamilton, chief engineer for Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, outlined their vision during a meeting with the House appropriations committee. The discussion centered on cutting-edge building methods that could transform everything from barracks to hangars.
“In an increasingly complex global security environment, our commitment to innovation in military construction is not just about building structures, it’s about building the resilience and readiness our forces need to prevail,” Morrow told lawmakers.
3D printing, also known as additive construction, has already moved beyond theoretical applications. The Army Corps of Engineers has piloted this technology at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida and Fort Bliss in Texas, where three new barracks projects utilized 3D printing techniques. According to Morrow, this approach can work both on military bases and in expeditionary environments.
“Additive construction has the potential to reduce costs, manpower, logistics and time, while opening the door for improved and new applications, such as unconventional countermeasures,” he explained.
The Navy is exploring different innovative techniques, particularly mass timber construction. In Hampton Roads, Virginia, the service is piloting the use of cross-laminated timber for a child development center. This construction method uses large wooden structural beams manufactured from smaller lumber pieces.
Hamilton noted in his testimony that the new facility “will use a hybrid mass timber exterior envelope consisting of cross-laminated walls and diaphragms.” As the cross-laminated timber industry matures, he suggested it “may prove more competitive and could be utilized more broadly in DOD construction.”
The Army isn’t far behind with mass timber projects. Morrow revealed they’ve “recently designed the Army’s first barracks made primarily with mass timber structural elements” and are soliciting interest in construction at Mountain Home Air Force Base. He highlighted that mass timber construction could significantly reduce project timelines.
High-performance concrete is another innovation being tested. NAVFAC employed this state-of-the-art material to construct a new F-35 Lightning II hangar at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina. The concrete offers improved durability, strength, resistance to extreme conditions, and better thermal and acoustic properties.
“HPC has been used extensively for our piers, runways and other critical infrastructure; and we are broadening its application,” Hamilton wrote in his testimony.
Both military branches emphasized their commitment to partnering with industry and academia to explore additional construction innovations. The Navy has even implemented new guidance requiring planners and engineers to evaluate whether alternative construction methods could meet warfighting requirements while lowering costs and accelerating project delivery.
As global security challenges continue to evolve, these construction innovations may potential deliver facilities to the military that are faster to build, more efficient, and more capable of delivering modern warfighting requirements.
