Major Alex Rode, Project Team Leader for Additive Manufacturing with the Bundeswehr, sat down with Harry at Combat Engineer and Logistics 2026 to discuss Germany’s drive to scale 3D printing capability across its armed forces. Covering everything from the strategic case for small, low-cost printers at the workshop level to NATO collaboration through the NSPA’s Rapid-E digital library, Major Rode outlines how additive manufacturing can build the supply chain resilience needed for both peacetime readiness and large-scale combat operations. He also addresses the regulatory and procurement barriers currently facing the programme, and the lessons Germany is drawing from Ukraine’s experience of distributed 3D printing in wartime.
