A new ecosystem supporting Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division will strengthen U.S. defense manufacturing and advance critical capabilities
ACMI Federal (“ACMI”) today announced it has been awarded $50 million from Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division (“NSWC IHD”) to establish a collaborative research and development ecosystem to enhance energetics capabilities. As a result, ACMI is also announcing its plans to build a Maryland Energetics Innovation Hub ("MEIH") near NSWC IHD. The new facilities at MEIH will create an environment where industry, academia, and other organizations in the private sector will work side-by-side with government stakeholders to solve critical munitions industrial base challenges, increase production efficiency, and accelerate applied innovation for novel and existing energetic material systems.
“At ACMI, we are proud to be leaders in the movement to reinforce American production capacity and sharpen our technological edge as a country,” said John Burer, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ACMI Group. “Our Maryland Energetics Innovation Hub expands on ACMI’s proven approach to align private sector capabilities and government mission needs. Together with NSWC Indian Head Division, we are supporting manufacturers and strengthening one of the nation’s most important energetics ecosystems to ensure that the Americans who protect our nation have the best tools for the job.”
By integrating both new and established organizations, MEIH will significantly broaden the munitions industrial base surrounding NSWC IHD. The MEIH facilities are being designed to act as a central node in a larger network where local innovation catalyzes scaled production at multiple sites across the country, ultimately delivering higher-performing products to the warfighter, faster. To drive this mission, ACMI is already recruiting tenants specialized in eight technical focus areas identified by NSWC IHD. Collectively, these efforts will bridge the gap between sustaining existing systems and developing the next-generation capabilities essential to U.S. military readiness.
The eight technical focus areas for MEIH are:
- High-performance computing for manufacturing process modeling, simulation, and control
- Advanced uncrewed systems and energetics integration
- Advanced synthesis methods for energetics
- Advanced non-destructive evaluation for energetic systems
- Automated energetic processing and assembly methods with integrated AI
- Novel manufacturing processes for propulsion systems and warheads
- Addressing energetics obsolescence in qualified formulations
- High-precision, high-throughput non-energetic component production
“This initiative ensures that NSWC Indian Head Division remains at the forefront of energetics innovation and production,” said Dr. Trevor Hedman, NSWC IHD Chief Technology Officer. “By bringing together government, industry, and academic partners in a collaborative environment, we can accelerate the development and fielding of critical capabilities that strengthen the Navy’s Arsenal and the larger munitions industrial base.”
The Maryland hub builds on ACMI’s flexible industrial campus strategy being rolled out across the country, and follows ACMI’s most recent National Security Industrial Hub groundbreaking in Indiana in February 2026. That effort, backed by an initial $75 million OTA award from the Department of War, is bringing together shared infrastructure, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and co-located partners to help companies scale production faster and more efficiently.
MEIH is scheduled to break ground within the second quarter of 2026. As development progresses and promising solutions emerge, MEIH is expected to create high-quality jobs, drive economic growth, and attract hundreds of millions of dollars in additional investment into Maryland’s defense industrial ecosystem. Additional details on the project, tenants, and development timelines are forthcoming.
About the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (ACMI)
The American Center for Manufacturing & Innovation (ACMI) is an industrial group focused on revitalizing the United States’ manufacturing base by building essential infrastructure and providing the strategic investment and support modern manufacturers need to scale. Operating through its affiliates—ACMI Federal, ACMI Capital, and ACMI Properties—ACMI aligns public and private capital, specialized resources, and technical expertise to bridge critical gaps in domestic production. By partnering with emerging and established companies across vital industrial sectors, ACMI is expanding U.S. manufacturing capacity, strengthening supply chains, accelerating innovation, and increasing economic resilience across the American industrial base. Learn more: www.ACMIGroup.com
About Naval Surface Warfare Center, Indian Head Division (NSWC IHD)
NSWC IHD — a field activity of the Naval Sea Systems Command and part of the Navy’s Science and Engineering Establishment — is the leader in ordnance, energetics, and EOD solutions. The Division focuses on energetics research, development, testing, evaluation, in-service support, manufacturing and disposal; and provides warfighters solutions to detect, locate, access, identify, render safe, recover, exploit and dispose of explosive ordnance threats. Learn more: www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NSWC-Indian-Head/
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