Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER)

Abstract

The RDER PE supports core program management and integration activities necessary to plan and execute a multi-year campaign of experimentation. The RDER initiative is a whole of DoD effort focused on joint experimentation to provide rapid capabilities that address our most difficult military challenges. The Secretary of Defense established the RDER initiative in the Defense Planning Guidance for Fiscal Year 2023-2027, to enable multi- component experimentation through a campaign of learning that accelerates technology transition and scale-up with the Services through the Deputy’s Management Action Group. This experimentation is executed using validated mission vignettes to assess Measures of effectiveness and measures of performance identified in Modeling and Simulation. Integrated Assessment plans are developed for each prototype in the experiment and the data is collected thru a campaign of experimentation utilizing Service demonstration venues such as Project Convergence or Combatant Command Training Exercises such as Northern Edge or Valliant Shield. The final prototype assessment will consist of a body of evidence that consists of Modeled data, range or exercise performance, and doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, and facilities (DOTMPLF) issues. This assessment will be presented to the Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC) and the Deputy Secretary of Defense (DEPSECDEF) Deputy Management Action Group (DMAG) to inform transition or acceleration decisions for the department. The RDER program focuses on a campaign of joint experimentation on rapid capabilities that address our most complex military challenges. The Secretary of Defense established RDER in the Defense Planning Guidance to enable multi-component joint experimentation through a campaign of learning and to establish a body of evidence to support rapid adoption by the Services. RDER enables the Services, agencies, industry, and other organizations to identify “best of breed” capabilities to be prototyped in large-scale joint experiments and validate and/or refine the Joint Warfighting Concept (JWC). OUSD(R&E)’s process for incubating promising prototypes starts with a novel experimental design based on a web of interconnected systems addressing specific Defense Planning Scenarios. This approach is unique from other experimentation that focuses on determining individual system efficacy. Additionally, the experimental design is unique in using the web of systems to explore new warfighting concepts that capitalize on contributions of multiple Services as a true joint force. The experimentation yields live data that the USD(R&E) analyzes against the performance predicted in modelling and simulation. OUSD(R&E) manages the Department’s multiple RDER experimentation events and conducts integration activities with the Joint Force. OUSD(R&E) recommends new projects, reviews project progress, and incorporates the most promising innovative prototypes into existing exercise venues such as: Project Convergence, Valiant Shield, Talisman Sabre, Grey Flag, Joint Battle Problem, and TREX. RDER utilizes funding to plan, integrate, and oversee joint experiments; provide assessments on project viability; and, deliver the results to the DMAG to facilitate decisions on transitioning promising capabilities with the Services.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2024
• Source ID: 0604790D8Z_4_0400_PB_2024
• Change Summary Explanation: FY 2023 includes a congressional transfer of $70.000 million from the Rapid Prototyping Program (RPP), 0604331D8Z, Project 073, and a congressional reduction of $45.242 million. FY 2024 includes a funding re-alignment of $71.000 million from the Rapid Prototyping Program (RPP), 0604331D8Z, a program adjustment increase of $10.000 million to support the Rapid Defense Experimentation Reserve (RDER) priorities, a reduction of $1.545 million to support the Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Serving Institutions program, which is a priority of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)), a reduction of $0.074 million to support departmental priorities, and an increase of $0.392 million for an economic assumption inflation.
• Service Agency Name: Office of the Secretary Of Defense

Entities

Organizations

• Office of the Secretary of Defense

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Cyber
• Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Command And Control
• Defense Planning
• Education
• Engineering
• Experimental Design
• Governments
• Ground Based
• Measures Of Effectiveness
• Network Architecture
• Operational Readiness
• Physics Laboratories
• Product Prototyping
• Program Management
• Prototypes
• Software Prototyping
• Surface Warfare
• Unified Combatant Commands

Readers

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