AmeriCOM President & CEO, Dave Shelton and Program Manager Adam Dunn recently attended the 2025 SPIE Defense + Commercial Sensing conference in Orlando, Florida, where researchers and federal agencies gathered to learn about the latest advances in optics and how they related to the security and defense sectors.
“There was a great workforce development panel discussion, including members from Lockheed Martin, CREOL, Raytheon, and Valencia Community College talking about the importance of recruitment, skills training and retention,” Dunn says. “It seems that all industry leaders are feeling the impact of a shallow talent pool and are ready to invest in programs to help prepare technicians for a successful career in optics and photonics.”
Dunn tells us there was also a lot of interest at the AmeriCOM booth around the organization’s workforce development models and locations, as well as COM-Lab, AmericCOM’s 10,000 sq. ft. user lab facility.
“Specifically, folks seemed most interested in our 5-axis diamond turning machine, our high energy laser test stand (which is in the process of being built right now) and our J.A. Woollam V-VASE/ IR-VASE metrology systems,” Dunn says.
The conference offered AmeriCOM a chance to connect with critical partners in technical training programs as well as resources, equipment and the development and distribution of open educational resources for industry. All of which will feed into the strategic roadmaps AmeriCOM is building to move forward together.
Interested in joining DPOC? Let’s talk.
The AmeriCOM Defense Precision Optics Consortium (DPOC) is designed to spark new, mission-critical technologies and help the optics industry respond to the needs of the U.S. military. DPOC members have access to AmeriCOM’s COM-Lab, with state-of-the-art equipment to support projects in the precision optics field, including research and proof-of-concept testing.
Membership in DPOC is open to U.S.-based optics manufacturing companies, academic institutions, and other nonprofit organizations. For an overview of member benefits, visit our Manufacturing Technologies page. To join DPOC, submit this Application Form and a member of the AmeriCOM DPOC team will contact you about next steps. Questions? Contact Adam Dunn, Program Manager.