The Department of War has awarded $27.3 million to Pacific Scientific Energetic Materials Company, bringing its total investment in the solid rocket motor supply chain to $191 million since December 2024, as the Pentagon moves aggressively to close production gaps in a segment it considers strategically vital.
The latest award, funded through the Defense Production Act’s Title III authority, will allow PacSci EMC, based in Chandler, Ariz., to expand output of the universal Arm Fire Device—a safety component used across a range of solid rocket motor programs. The company plans to consolidate production into a single integrated facility, a move the Pentagon said would cut lead times and reduce manufacturing errors.
“The DoW is focused on rapidly expanding and accelerating munitions production, driving a surge in demand for solid rocket motors,” said Michael Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment. “Strengthening supply chains through smart investments will help alleviate shortfalls by increasing capacity and reducing manufacturing lead times for key components.”
The nine awards, all issued under a Defense Industrial Base Consortium Other Transaction Agreement, reflect the department’s effort to rebuild a domestic industrial base that officials say has been hollowed out by decades of consolidation and underinvestment. Solid rocket motors power a broad array of precision munitions, interceptors, and space launch vehicles, and shortfalls in the sector have drawn concern from defense planners tracking global conflicts.
The awards span the full width of the supply chain—from raw materials such as rayon filament precursors and carbon phenolic ablatives, which are used to protect rocket nozzles from extreme heat, to finished motor assemblies. The breadth of the effort signals concern within the Pentagon not merely about final assembly capacity, but about the sub-tier suppliers whose bottlenecks can stall entire production lines.
The PacSci EMC award is one of five investments by the DPA Purchases Office totaling $482.6 million since the start of fiscal year 2026, underscoring the pace at which the department is committing capital to the munitions sector. The awards are administered through the department’s Warfighting Investment, Resourcing, and Execution Directorate.
The Other Transaction Agreement mechanism, which allows the Pentagon to move faster than traditional acquisition rules permit, has become a preferred tool for industrial base investments where speed is considered essential.
By: DNU staff