TACTICAL TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

The Tactical Technology Program Element is budgeted in the Applied Research Budget Activity because it supports the advancement of concepts and technologies to enhance the next generation of tactical systems. The Tactical Technology Program Element funds a number of projects in the areas of Naval Warfare, Advanced Land Systems, Aeronautics and Space Technology and Information Analytics Technology. The Naval Warfare Technology project develops advanced technologies for application to a broad range of naval requirements. Enabling and novel technologies include concepts for expanding the envelope of operational naval capabilities to include the entire sea column such as improved situational awareness over large maritime environments, ship self-defense techniques, novel underwater propulsion modalities, high speed underwater vessels, improved techniques for underwater object detection and discrimination, long endurance unmanned surface vehicles, methods and techniques for servicing assets throughout the sea column, and high bandwidth communications. This project will also examine methods and architectures for distributing maritime operations to enable a more agile, survivable, and cost-effective fleet. The Advanced Land Systems Technology project is developing technologies for enhancing U.S. military effectiveness and survivability in operations ranging from traditional threats to military operations against irregular forces that can employ disruptive or catastrophic capabilities, or disrupt stabilization operations, including competing in undergoverned spaces. Programs in this project will break the relative symmetry of land combat to give U.S. forces a decided advantage in the current and future ground battlefield. The emphasis is on developing affordable technologies that reduce reliance on consolidated forward-operating bases and required lines of communication, and provide small units and individual warfighters with hyper-mobility and hyper-lethality. This project will develop methods and technologies to expand the maneuver trade space to include the vertical dimension, including subterranean environments, as well as undergoverned spaces. It will leverage advances in artificial intelligence to enable integrated manned-unmanned operations and decrease warfighter exposure through the use of autonomous agents. Aeronautics and Space Technology efforts will address high payoff opportunities that dramatically reduce costs associated with advanced aeronautical and space systems and/or provide revolutionary new system capabilities for satisfying current and projected military mission requirements. This includes advanced technology studies of revolutionary propulsion, vehicle, and launch concepts, sophisticated fabrication methods, and examination of novel materials and enabling technologies for aeronautics and space system applications. Studies that also fundamentally change the calculus of battle including consideration of a mix of assets, platforms that are potentially disposable or with limited lifespans, and autonomous integration of space and air platforms in the tactical battlespace are included as well. The Information Analytics Technology project develops technology for analyzing data and information arising from: 1) intelligence networks; 2) open sources, social and broadcast media, and other external sources; 3) sensors and signal/image processors; and 4) collection platforms and weapon systems. Technical challenges include processing huge volumes of diverse, incomplete, and uncertain data in tactically-relevant timeframes, and countering the information operations of sophisticated adversaries who seek to deceive, degrade, deny, and disrupt the U.S. information enterprise. Benefits sought include a deeper understanding of the evolving operational environment tailored to the needs of commanders at every echelon; an enhanced capability to plan, monitor, and control diverse military operations ranging from stabilization and information operations to combat engagements; and increased efficiency of core military functions such as national and homeland security, warfighter health and readiness, and defense support of law enforcement and civil authorities.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2023
• Source ID: 0602702E_2_0400_PB_2023
• Change Summary Explanation: FY 2021: Decrease reflects SBIR/STTR transfer offset by reprogrammings. FY 2022: Increase reflects Congressional Add for AI, Cyber, Data Analytics offset by Congressional reduction. FY 2023: FY 2023 funding increase reflects the fact that the FY 2022 President's Budget request did not include out-year funding.
• Service Agency Name: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Entities

Organizations

• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Autonomy
• C4I
• Cyber
• Engineered Resilient Systems
• Ground and Sea Platforms
• Human Systems
• Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Aircrafts
• Artificial Intelligence
• Autonomous Systems
• Cognitive Systems Engineering
• Command And Control
• Control Systems
• Cross Domain
• Data Analysis
• Fabrication
• Ground Control Stations
• Humanitarian Assistance
• Information Operations
• Space Systems
• Unmanned Aerial Systems
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• Unmanned Ground Vehicles
• Unmanned Systems

Readers

• Distributed Systems and Data Platform Development
• Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
• Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.

Technology Areas

• AI & ML
• AI & ML - Autonomous Systems
• AI & ML - DoD AI Strategy
• Autonomy
• Autonomy - UAVs
• Space