Joint Experimentation
Abstract
The Joint Experimentation (JE) Program Element is the lynchpin resource underwriting a diverse portfolio of experiments and concept development activities addressing the needs of the joint warfighter. Projects typically confirm critical joint mission capability gaps; identify potential remedies; explore a range of Doctrine, Organizational, Training, Materiel, Leadership, Personnel, Facilities, and Policy (DOTMLPF-P) solutions; and establish the best path to solving security challenges. Experiments span a spectrum from early efforts to develop new joint operational concepts, to refinement of joint doctrine, to scenario-based examination of potential technology-based solutions. By defining emergent shortfalls and exploring force enhancement options, JE is essentially an early risk mitigation tool preceding implementation of doctrine changes, advanced prototype demonstrations and acquisition decision investments. Joint Combatant Commanders (COCOMs) and Services are the primary customers of projects funded by the JE Program, but these projects provide collateral benefits to a wider Defense Experimentation Enterprise including Agencies and the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) as well as intra-government, international and Non-Government Organization (NGO) partners. The experiments funded by this program establish the path to resolve current joint warfighting deficiencies and lay the foundation for effective future joint forces. Director, Defense Research & Engineering (DDR&E) within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) provides oversight to ensure alignment with strategic guidance and emphasizes disciplined design and cost control of individual projects with meaningful results that can be assessed with metrics based on incremental force improvements. Flexibility is maintained in the JE Program to address emergent requirements identified by Combatant Commanders and Services, and necessary to resolve operational capability gaps that require time sensitive solutions for operational forces. Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command and Director, Defense Research & Engineering work in concert to provide responsive support to customers and partners. The JE Program Element provides funding for the Department’s Joint Experimentation (JE) effort led by US Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM). The JE Enterprise includes the COCOMs, the military services, the National Guard, the Joint Staff, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), and several Defense Agencies. Intra-government agencies and coalition partners often participate in JCDE processes and projects. JE primarily serves the COCOMs and Services, but important collateral benefits accrue to other members and partners in the extended experimentation community. For example, much of the joint content in military "Title 10" wargames can be traced to coordination within the JE Enterprise. JE experiments originate from an annual call for nominations, as well as an assessment of COCOM identified critical warfighting capability gaps articulated in the Integrated Priority Lists submitted to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS). JE nominations undergo preliminary analysis by USJFCOM to confirm topic suitability for experimentation and, where feasible, to associate closely related subjects for economy of effort. The resultant list is termed Warfighter Challenges (WFC) and constitutes the list of experimentation efforts eligible for design and execution. The JE enterprise ranks WFCs before preliminary experimentation plans are developed. In consultation with JE partners, USJFCOM formulates an annual program of experimentation intended to support the widest customer base, while addressing the highest priorities and yielding meaningful outcomes. JE experiments and activities examine potential solutions for COCOM operational needs through targeted DOTMLPF-P improvements. JE tackles joint capability issues demanding sophisticated analysis, innovative design and complex execution. JE addresses topics that would prove difficult for individual COCOMs and Services to capture in the context of their immediate operational and force generation responsibilities. Experiments and efforts produce a range of outcomes inclusive of fundamental joint doctrine, inputs to major policy documents such as Guidance for Development of the Force (GDF) and Guidance for Employment of the Force (GEF). In partnership with the COCOMs and military services, JE mitigates operational risk by establishing procedural models to conduct emergent concepts like Irregular Warfare that are not yet instantiated in conventional force generation. JE examines joint concepts and develops exploratory concepts in an effort to describe how the Joint Force Commander will operate to meet current and future security challenges, and examines the joint capabilities required to execute the concepts. To support the continued transformation of the joint force even while it is engaged in operations around the world, joint concept development applies historical precedents, lessons learned from current operations, and studies the projected joint operational environment to advance the conceptual foundation for the future force. A relatively stabile investment projection for the JE Program drives aggressive efforts to derive greater return on investment for the DoD in the face of increasing demand for projects from COCOMs and joint experimentation partners. Joint and Service experimentation are complementary efforts. Joint experimentation focuses on the needs of the Joint Force Commander, while Service experimentation enables the components the Joint Force Commander will employ. Complementing the experimentation efforts undertaken by USJFCOM (JCDE directorate), other COCOMs may conduct Limited Objective Experiments (LOEs) to address operational capability gaps and support identification of potential solutions for theater specific and functional joint warfighter needs, as part of the overall JCDE campaign. Within the process, the JCDE enterprise leverages Service wargame/experimentation to address joint challenges. All experimentation activities undertaken are coordinated within the JCDE enterprise to cover gaps and avoid unnecessary duplication, and the results are reported to the enterprise. The collaborative planning effort of the JCDE enterprise is intended to ensure joint context, concepts, and anticipated capabilities are effectively integrated into service experimentation as appropriate. A biennial report captures activities across the Defense Experimentation domain to inform Congress of program execution and project accomplishments.
Document Details
- Document Type
- R2 Budgetary Justification
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2011
- Source ID
- 0603828D8Z_3_0400_PB_2011
- Change Summary Explanation
- Service Agency Name
- Office of Secretary Of Defense
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- Child Accomplishment: Command and Control (C2)
- Child Accomplishment: Force Application (FA)
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- Child Accomplishment: Joint Urban Operation (JUO) / Joint Irregular Warfare Center (JIWC)
- Child Accomplishment: Joint Futures Group
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