The following article appeared in The Guam Daily Post:
By Walter Ulloa
The Applied Science and Technology Research Organization of America has selected a seasoned manufacturing executive to spearhead the establishment of Guam’s first advanced manufacturing facility, marking a critical step in preparing the island for what military officials describe as the largest defense buildup since World War II as addressing the territory’s chronic brain drain crisis.
Alex Benham, a veteran of major 3-D printing companies including 3-D Systems, Sigma Additive and Dyndrite, will serve as director and general manager of the Guam Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Accelerator, known as GAMMA. The facility represents a key component in addressing both immediate Navy supply chain needs and longer-term workforce development challenges as Guam experiences an unprecedented surge in military construction and economic activity.
“This is a once in a generation opportunity to build a forward deployed manufacturing capability from the ground up, right where the Navy needs it most,” Benham told The Guam Daily Post. “Nothing like this exists on Guam today.”
The GAMMA project arrives as local workforce development programs demonstrate growing success in retaining skilled professionals who might otherwise leave for mainland opportunities. The G3 Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub, housed at Chamorro Village, has become a proving ground for the type of advanced manufacturing expertise that GAMMA will require at industrial scale.
Justin Cruz, a robotics-trained technician who returned to Guam after military service and mainland technical training, exemplifies the workforce pipeline that GAMMA aims to expand. As a National Science Foundation fellow at the G3 Makerspace, Cruz operates the island’s only computer-numerical-control machines and has chosen to build his career on Guam rather than pursue lucrative mainland opportunities.
“If the best of us keep leaving, you know, the best of us won’t be here to help our own island,” Cruz said. “It would be the locals, because I believe they could do the best jobs – you know, to help our island – because they see the problems. They grew up with it.”
Benham’s appointment comes as military officials acknowledge the scale of construction planned for Guam and the Western Pacific region requires innovative approaches to meet demand. The Navy has committed to exploring alternative construction methods as over $20 billion in investments flow into the region over the next decade.
“We are launching upon it with speed right now,” said Evan Mizue, design director at Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Pacific, in a November 2024 Post article as he described the Navy’s push for construction innovation. “This is the first time we actually engaged industry on a broad scale to introduce the Navy’s new direction to innovate and explore alternative construction methods.”
The GAMMA project, sponsored by the Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base Program office and BlueForge Alliance, addresses critical supply chain vulnerabilities that have historically impacted naval operations in the region. Currently, ships requiring parts may wait weeks or months for components to arrive from the mainland United States, Hawaii or other distant locations.
“From a Navy standpoint, when the ships are coming into port, there’s items they need,” Benham said. “Some of those items might be available just already in the harbor. They might not be available. They might have to get them shipped in from somewhere.”
The facility will use additive manufacturing to produce components on-island as needed. This approach eliminates the need to locate original equipment manufacturers who may no longer exist and reduces lead times that “could be anywhere from six weeks to four years,” according to Benham.
Austin Shelton, Ph.D., director of the University of Guam Center for Island Sustainability and Sea Grant, sees the G3 Makerspace as foundational to GAMMA’s success. The facility functions as an economic catalyst that transforms individual entrepreneurs into potential industry leaders while providing the skilled workforce that advanced manufacturing requires.
“(Computer Numerical Control) machining is actually, like, the backbone of manufacturing. You need it for everything,” Cruz said. “Everything that’s manufactured in some way, shape, or form has to go through CNC machining.”
The significance of local manufacturing capabilities becomes clear when considering costs. Cruz explains that a simple mold for recycled plastic products previously required outsourcing to the mainland at a cost of $5,000 but can now be produced locally through the makerspace’s equipment.
GAMMA’s three-pillar strategy includes creating a mechanical engineering talent pipeline through new higher education programs, establishing an industrial-scale production facility and providing component inspection and validation capabilities. The project will work with the University of Guam and Guam Community College to develop the island’s first advanced manufacturing workforce.
“UOG will have an engineering level course. GCC will have an operator level course,” Benham said. “The people that are, there’s a lot of people that do a lot of really complex math. And those people are going to be at UOG. And there’s a lot of people that just know how to build things, and those people are going to be at GCC.”
The emphasis on workforce development aligns with broader recognition that Guam’s strategic importance is creating unprecedented demand for skilled professionals. Roseann Jones, Ph.D., dean of UOG’s School of Business and Public Administration, told the Post that the island’s geopolitical position is driving requirements for “such high level and advanced workforce that we’ve never seen before.”
“I am incredibly impressed by the opportunity that’s coming to Guam,” Jones said. “Our political situation here that places us front and center in the world stage in many ways is bringing in a powerful demand for such high level and advanced workforce that we’ve never seen before.”
Jones emphasizes that today’s workers seek meaningful opportunities beyond traditional employment models, making programs like GAMMA particularly attractive for skilled professionals considering whether to stay on or return to Guam.
“What we’re seeing is that they want to demonstrate a return on that investment,” Jones said. “Part of that meaningfulness is that I want to demonstrate the money that you’ve paid me, that I was able to give that back to you. That I’ve earned my way. That I’m not just grabbing that and going. I’m contributing to this business.”
The project emerged from a feasibility study commissioned by Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero over two years ago to evaluate bringing industrial additive manufacturing to Guam. The governor joined U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Scott Pappano, program executive officer for strategic submarines, in announcing the project plan earlier this year.
“This plan will create new job opportunities for Guam while contributing to America’s national security interests. It’s a win-win,” Leon Guerrero said.
Benham acknowledged the challenges of establishing high-tech manufacturing on a remote island, noting that finding qualified talent will be the biggest initial hurdle. However, existing programs like the G3 Makerspace demonstrate that skilled professionals are willing to return to Guam when meaningful opportunities exist.
“We’ve had multiple island residents from the mainland U.S. reach out to us and say, ‘I’m from Guam. I love Guam. I want to go back to Guam, but I don’t have an economic reason to do that,'” Benham said. “These are the kinds of reasons we could help create for you.”
The facility will be developed in phases, beginning with equipment procurement and temporary container-based operations as a permanent facility is constructed. Benham, who currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, will relocate to Guam in the coming months as equipment arrives for the facility.
“Alex is the rare kind of leader who can build something from the ground up and make it sustainable, an individual who understands machines, software, systems and people,” said Neal Orringer, president of ASTRO America. “There is virtually no existing advanced manufacturing infrastructure on Guam; under Alex’s leadership, GAMMA will change that.”
The project aims to address more than just Navy needs. GAMMA’s designation as an “accelerator” reflects its broader mission to stimulate Guam’s economy and create opportunities for local entrepreneurs while building on the foundation established by programs like the G3 Makerspace.
“We are not here to just be employers and build parts for the Navy,” Benham said. “We’re here to help Guam’s economy and to go meet new people.”
The initiative represents a convergence of military necessity, economic opportunity and workforce development that could transform Guam’s economic landscape while supporting national security objectives in the strategically vital Indo-Pacific region.
“We’re building a pipeline of local talent, trained on cutting-edge technologies, to support critical defense priorities while diversifying the island’s economy,” Benham said. “GAMMA will be the premier, state-of-the-art production hub serving national security in the Indo-Pacific.”