Defense Modernization and Prototyping

Abstract

The Defense Modernization and Prototyping (DM&P) Program Element (PE) is an innovation accelerator that rapidly identifies, prototypes, and transitions solutions that help fill capability gaps in priority technology areas and maintain our Nation’s technological superiority and military advantage. DM&P identifies innovative solutions that fall into the seams, gaps, and fissures of Service development programs and aligns with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) critical technology areas and strategic priorities. Through targeted prototyping, DM&P rapidly matures and transitions capabilities that fill gaps within Joint Warfighting Concepts, increase interoperability between Service programs, and inform multi-Service joint experimentation and demonstration efforts such as the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER), Project Convergence, and Warfighting Lab Incentive Fund (WLIF). DM&P achieves this through a tailored execution model that: • Encourages innovation from small businesses and non-traditional performers by addressing DoD “pain points”; • Identifies and funds prototyping efforts within the year of execution to accelerate the rate of innovation and address emerging opportunities and threats; • Leverages Services, defense agency, and industry investments through partnerships that share risk and increase alignment with OUSD priorities; • Incorporates transition sponsor participation during project development, prototyping, and evaluation; • Is informed by Department-level strategies and priorities, including the National Defense Strategy, OUSD(R&E) critical technology areas, and the Combatant Commands’ (CCMD) Integrated Priority Lists (IPLs); • Coordinates with other defense innovation partners, including Service Labs, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers/University Affiliated Research Centers, academia, and the private sector; thereby increasing impact and reducing duplication; and • Maximizes value by balancing innovation with operational requirements, achieving an average transition rate of approximately 80 percent to Programs of Record or Service and defense agency partners. DM&P includes two project codes that fund innovative and emerging technologies to mature and transition solutions that close key capability gaps in OUSD(R&E) priority areas. Quick Reaction Special Projects (QRSP) focuses on innovation discovery with a strong emphasis on small businesses and non-traditional partners. Emerging Capabilities Technology Development (ECTD) focuses on maturing innovative capabilities into integrated solutions that address emerging gaps. Activities within these projects include early exploration of potentially game-changing technologies and concepts, harnessing small and non-traditional business innovation to address Department of Defense (DoD) leap-ahead technology challenges, and mission-focused capability development of advanced systems to address DoD modernization needs. DM&P emphasizes fully transitioning these innovations and emerging technologies as enduring capabilities to the Services, CCMDs, and other end users. With funds available throughout the year of execution, DM&P enables the OUSD(R&E) to identify, accelerate, and rapidly transition innovation from small businesses and non-traditional performers that otherwise would not be realized through traditional research and development pathways. Accordingly, DM&P programs can be responsive and flexible to the DoD and Warfighter needs, supporting rapid prototyping to meet immediate capability needs or game-changing technologies that maintain technological superiority. This execution model causes the DM&P PE to lag traditional RDT&E PE obligation and execution benchmarks; however, since inception, both the QRSP and ECTD programs have achieved an unbroken 100 percent obligation rate.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2024
• Source ID: 0603338D8Z_3_0400_PB_2024
• Change Summary Explanation: FY 2023 and out-year funding in the Defense Modernization and Prototyping (DM&P) Program Element (PE) transitioned to PE 0603838D8Z Defense Innovation Acceleration (DIA).
• Service Agency Name: Office of the Secretary Of Defense

Entities

Organizations

• Office of the Secretary of Defense

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Air Platforms
• Autonomy
• C4I
• Cyber
• Engineered Resilient Systems (Alumni COI)
• Ground and Sea Platforms
• Kinetic Weapons
• Sensors

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Air Force
• Artificial Intelligence
• Collision Avoidance
• Command And Control
• Logistics
• Machine Learning
• National Security
• Radio Frequency
• Supply Chain
• Unified Combatant Commands
• United States Central Command
• Unmanned Aerial Systems
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
• Unmanned Systems
• Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
• Virtual Reality
• Warfare

Fields of Study

• Computer science

Readers

• Defense Technology Research and Development.
• Enterprise Information Systems Architecture and Joint Command Capability Interoperability Support.
• Military Science and Technology Research and Modernization.