Affordable Mass Munitions
ASC presents a deep conversation on Affordable Mass Munitions.
The war in Ukraine exposed how thin U.S. weapons magazines are and how slowly they can be refilled. The Air Force's answer, the Family of Affordable Mass Munitions (FAMM), bets that designing for manufacturing, open architecture, and non-traditional suppliers can take long-range weapons production from hundreds per year to tens of thousands. Join the Abelian Security Council for a candid conversation with one of the architects of that effort on what it will take and where new entrants fit.
On the table
Designing for manufacturing: why designing for producibility, not just performance, is the key to affordable mass
Open architecture: how the Weapons Open System Architecture (WOSA) lets components be swapped in and out and widens the supplier pool
Lowering the barriers to entry: how WOSA should be changing supply chain management (SCM) for weapons, and what that means for non-traditional companies that self-invest, use commercial technology, and rely on advanced manufacturing
Scaling up: distributed production nodes, capital expenditure (CAPEX), and what it really takes to go from hundreds of weapons a year to tens of thousands
The industrial base and allies: strengths and weak points in the defense industrial base, and the opportunity to extend production to U.S. allies
Speaker
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Chris "Alf" Athearn served 35 years as a career acquisition professional in the U.S. Air Force as an engineer, program manager, and contracting specialist. As the first Congressionally appointed Senior Military Acquisition Advisor to the Air Force's Service Acquisition Executive (SAF/AQ), he was designated to lead the Weapons Capacity Task Force, chartered to deepen weapons magazines and speed replenishment in the face of the limits of the weapons vendor base highlighted by the war in Ukraine. His team launched the Family of Affordable Mass Munitions (FAMM), using rapid, iterative design cycles and the Weapons Open System Architecture (WOSA) to open the supply chain to non-traditional companies.
Earlier roles include Senior Materiel Leader of the Long Range Systems Division, a $5 billion portfolio spanning the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile–Extended Range (JASSM-ER), the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), the Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (MALD) and MALD-J jammer, foreign military sales (FMS), and the Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon. He twice commanded Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) units, DCMA Twin Cities and DCMA Northrop Grumman, overseeing contract administration, pricing, quality assurance, and program management for more than 400 defense contractors across seven states. He also served as Chief of the Command and Control Division in SAF/AQ's Information Dominance Directorate and as F-22 Program Element Monitor at the Pentagon, and during COVID was assigned to the Air Force-led task force that surged emergency medical supplies and kept critical defense companies from failing. His programs have spanned intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), aircraft of all types, command and control, missile defense, and long-range and hypersonic weapons.
Today Chris leads Alfen Consulting, advising innovative and disruptive companies that can expand the industrial base and accelerate capability to the field.
Moderator: Owen Davies, CEO of the ASC
Submit questions for Chris when you register and no later than Wednesday, November 25. We'll do our best to make sure submitted questions are answered, but we can't guarantee every question will be covered.
Good to know
Admission is subject to pre-qualification criteria.
Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.
Attendees remain anonymous, and the session is held under the Chatham House rule.
A recording and transcript will not be available after the event.
Speakers participate in their capacity as private citizens. None of the views expressed are endorsed by political organizations, government, military, or current and prior employers. Events are for informational purposes only. Nothing discussed is investment advice, an offer, or a solicitation.