First Cohort of Soldiers Complete UTEP’s Advanced Manufacturing for Defense Readiness Certificate
Miners, EL PASO, Texas (Aug. 25, 2026) – The University of Texas at El Paso W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation recently recognized the first cohort of soldiers to complete the Advanced Manufacturing for Defense Readiness (AMDR) Certificate Program. The program is a hands-on training initiative designed to strengthen Army readiness, modernization and field-level manufacturing capability.
Delivered by UTEP’s advanced manufacturing faculty and staff, AMDR provided 1st Armored Division soldiers with practical instruction in numerous skills, including engineering design, reverse engineering, 3D scanning, materials and process selection, additive manufacturing operations and technical documentation.
“This first AMDR cohort reflects exactly the kind of partnership UTEP was built to support,” said James Carney, Ph.D., director of the Keck Center. “We are located in one of North America’s most important manufacturing regions and next to Fort Bliss, where readiness matters every day. By connecting UTEP’s research infrastructure and hands-on engineering education with the mission needs of the 1st Armored Division, we are helping soldiers gain practical skills that can improve sustainment, accelerate innovation, and strengthen national defense.”
The program is designed to help Army maintainers and sustainers move from concept to field-ready solutions while reinforcing safety, quality assurance, traceability and operational relevance.
The inaugural cohort completed a curriculum that combines classroom instruction, guided demonstrations, laboratory execution, technical exercises and applied manufacturing projects. Participants developed capabilities in creating technical data packages, digitizing and redesigning physical components, selecting appropriate materials and production methods, preparing additive manufacturing builds, applying inspection and qualification practices, and presenting validated manufacturing solutions tied to sustainment requirements.
Col. Delarius Tarlton, Commander of the 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade, emphasized the operational importance of the training.
“Readiness depends on our ability to solve sustainment challenges quickly, safely, and correctly,” Tarlton said. “The AMDR program gives our soldiers exposure to the tools, processes, and decision-making skills needed to support modern maintenance operations. This cohort represents an important step toward building organic advanced manufacturing knowledge inside the formation and expanding what our sustainment enterprise can do for the division.”
By pairing university expertise in advanced manufacturing with Army sustainment needs, AMDR supports both immediate technical skill development and long-term technology transfer for distributed manufacturing, rapid prototyping, qualification, and maintenance modernization.
UTEP and Fort Bliss leaders said the successful completion of the first cohort provides a foundation for future training cycles, expanded mission-focused projects and continued integration of advanced manufacturing practices that can help keep soldiers equipped, vehicles ready and units prepared for the demands of modern operations.
Last Updated on August 25, 2026 at 12:00 AM | Originally published August 25, 2026
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
