Next Generation Weapon Systems Reshaping the Organic Industrial Base:
A Future Filled with Autonomous and Expendable Platforms

Speaker: Todd Greene, Director of Advanced Technologies
Event: Department of War Maintenance Symposium
Date: January 23, 2026
Time: 10:30 AM–12:00 PM MST
Location: Meeting Room 124 AB

Session Overview

As the Department of War shifts toward smaller, more numerous, and increasingly autonomous weapon systems, the structure of the organic industrial base is being forced to evolve. This session explores how high-volume, expendable platforms are reshaping sustainment, maintenance, and production models across the force.

Panelists will examine the downstream effects of moving away from large, expensive legacy systems toward distributed fleets of autonomous platforms that require forward, downrange maintenance rather than traditional depot-level support. The discussion will assess what this transition means for the future of shipyards, brick-and-mortar depots, and long-standing production lines.

Topics include:
• The impact of autonomous systems on sustainment strategies
• How depot workloads may shift from platform maintenance to component production
• Whether future force structure will require fewer depots or different capabilities
• Institutional barriers slowing modernization of the sustainment enterprise

Attendees will be invited to contribute their perspectives on what the next decade of warfighting and sustainment should look like, and how the organic industrial base must adapt to support operations in contested and denied environments.