Combating Terrorism Technology Support

Abstract

This program supports the Department's initiatives to Deter Aggression, Defend the Homeland, and Build Sustainable and Long-Term Advantage. The Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate (IWTSD), via the combating terrorism support program, supports the National Defense Strategy (NDS), the Irregular Warfare Annex, and will provide peer and near-peer threat areas increased priority. This program recognizes that many of the existing requirements already support many of the high interest areas, to include increasing lethal capability of U.S. forces at the squad and small unit level; countering Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (drones) overseas and domestically; tunnel detection and mapping in theater; novel body and vehicle armor; detecting, protecting against, and mitigating novel and wartime CBRNE threats; telematics; covert communications; and of special interest, the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence to enhance the capability of systems used by the military and lessen the workload on the individual users. During FY 2023, IWTSD will continue to focus its R&D activities rapidly to fill the immediate, emerging and critical capability gaps of special operations forces, other military operators, intelligence analysts, and first responders that are at the leading edge of the fight or response. In FY 2022 or until funds are expended, the IWTSD will continue to address countering small unmanned aerial vehicles and enhance detection of, and operations in, tunnels through implementation of the FY 2021 Congressionally directed and funded cooperative 50-50 cost sharing RDT&E projects with Israel. Although COVID 19 has greatly impacted the nation, IWTSD was able to collaborate and coordinate with users and industry using the virtual environment. While not optimum, this capability allowed the IWTSD to continue to meet and fill our user’s capability gaps and help keep small businesses operating. The IWTSD is rapidly returning to in-person work and travel, but due to COVID-19, had to extend some contracts for vendors due to the negative impacts in the supply chain, lack of personnel, and the availability of laboratories for testing. From a broader perspective, projects remain distributed among 10 mission categories, in line with the interagency Technical Support Working Group (TSWG): •Advanced Analytics •Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives •Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Explosive Operations •Expeditionary Force Protection •Forensic Exploitation and Identity Operations •Human Performance and Training •Indirect Influence and Competition •Protection, Survivability, and Recovery •Surveillance, Collection, and Operations Support •Tactical Offensive Support Each of these programs have long held strong R&D partnerships with the components of USSOCOM, the Services; and many Defense Agencies. While supporting the NDS by filling capability gaps for great power competition, the IWTSD program will also continue to identify capabilities to combat terrorism and irregular adversaries and quickly deliver these capabilities to U.S. Defense and interagency users, as well as international partners through rapid research and development, advanced studies, and technical innovation. The IWTSD continues to expand its partnerships with other Defense and the Interagency components, as well as with our foreign partners’ rapid development and acquisition organizations to leverage their expertise and reduce unnecessary duplication as it tries to expedite and transition new and innovative capabilities. IWTSD is unique in its approach, annually obtaining joint requirements directly from military operators, intelligence analyst, and first responders and discussing those requirements with industry even before the requirements are released in a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). The IWTSD program continues to be a diverse, advanced technology development effort that capitalizes on interagency and international participation to demonstrate the utility and effectiveness of technology when applied to combating peer or near-peer forces, emerging threats, and combating terrorism requirements. This includes rapid technology development, safety testing, proof-of-concept demonstrations, operational test and evaluations of prototypes in the field, and coordinating the transition from development to production and operational use. Beginning with the FY 2021 plan, the time from requirements to contracts was shortened to ensure the IWTSD was addressing the most near-term, identified needs. As such, the FY 2023 Program Requirements Meetings with users occurred in January, 2022 and contract awards will begin in October or November 2022 (the start of FY 2023). The IWTSD normally manages approximately 220 individual projects and international task plans; while also reviewing proposals and negotiating contracts for another 70 requirements for the next fiscal year. The IWTSD program justified in the R-2 exhibit identifies the projects fully or partially funded by Congressional appropriations for the IWTSD program. However, IWTSD also develops technology and provides support using external funds provided by other DoD and federal departments and international partnerships. The funds for these projects and support activities are not reflected in this justification R-2; but the number of activities does reflect positively on the trust and competence that IWTSD has earned throughout the Department of Defense and interagency to rapidly conduct critical RDT&E and provide innovative products.

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Document Details

Document Type
R2 Budgetary Justification
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2023
Source ID
0603122D8Z_3_0400_PB_2023
Change Summary Explanation
FY 2023 funding increase reflects the fact that the FY 2022 President’s Budget request did not include out-year funding.
Service Agency Name
Office of the Secretary Of Defense

Entities

Organizations

  • Office of the Secretary of Defense

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy
  • Counter IED
  • Cyber
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Brain Injuries
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal
  • Explosives
  • Information Operations
  • Military Applications
  • National Security
  • Surveillance
  • Target Recognition
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Virtual Reality
  • Warning Systems

Readers

  • Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
  • Defense Technology Research and Development.
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.

Technology Areas

  • AI & ML
  • AI & ML - DoD AI Strategy
  • Autonomy
  • Autonomy - UAVs
  • Fully Networked C3
  • Fully Networked C3 - Command and Control

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