# Army plans a 'manufacturing rodeo' race among its industrial base partners Acting Army Secretary Adam Telle said it will take place early next year. The announcement didn't name who will run it or which companies will compete. Published 2026-10-13 by TGOs. Canonical: https://tgos.io/news/2026/10/13/army-plans-a-manufacturing-rodeo-race-among-its-industrial/ Telle described the Army's first-ever Manufacturing Rodeo as a competitive stress test of both its organic industrial base and the nation's broader manufacturing network. He announced it Monday at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual meeting, saying the race would show "exactly where it breaks."[1] The Army says the aim is to identify weak links, strengthen them and keep iterating.[1] Defense One reported that the event will be "a sort of public competition" to expose where the industrial base falls short of demand and where new players offer innovative approaches.[2] What it means for any one company is still blank. Telle "did not divulge many details," Breaking Defense reported, and the Army's release names no organizer, competitors, funding or consequence for a weak link beyond strengthening it.[1][3] The rodeo will build on a shift the Army made this year, from single-system production targets toward scaling "advanced manufacturing" across its organic industrial base.[1] That build-out includes manufacturing hubs at Red River, Anniston and Tobyhanna Army Depots and public-private partnerships with Hadrian and Siemens.[1] The Army says the capacity lets it make subcomponents on demand, from complex electric motors to tank engine transmission belt housings.[1] Breaking Defense reported Telle's reasoning: since the Army has invested "a lot in our organic industrial base," it will now hold a competition of sorts among industry.[3] Telle's example of the wider supply-chain problem was a basic attack drone, Breaking Defense reported. The Army needs to be able to make millions, he said, and each is "a flying supply chain we don't control enough of."[3] ## Why it matters Any rules the Army issues before the race would be the first document to show whether it is open to the new players Defense One described, and what happens to a weak link.[1][2] ## Sources 1. U.S. Army: Army Announces First Ever 'Manufacturing Rodeo' (Oct. 12, 2026) 2. Defense One: Army plans 'rodeo' to round up supply-chain problems (Oct. 12, 2026) 3. Breaking Defense: Acting army secretary announces 'manufacturing rodeo' to tackle 'weak links' in supply chain (Oct. 12, 2026) 4. DefenseScoop: Telle says Army will 'find the weak links' in the industrial supply chain through 'manufacturing rodeo' (Oct. 12, 2026)