Air Force Vanguards
Abstract
This Program is a concentrated effort to improve Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) business practices to accelerate moving emerging technologies into the hands of the warfighter. Vanguard programs draw the operational, acquisitions, and technology communities together into coherent teams to solve the hard Science & Technology (S&T) problems based on Department of the Air Force (DAF) strategic priorities which do not have readily available emerging technology solutions. Teams follow a disciplined process tailorable to accelerate efforts as deemed necessary by the department. This process (known as WARTECH, for WARfighter / TECHnologist) leverages discrete progress gates to deliver S&T efforts organized as Vanguard Pathfinders, Vanguard Prospects, and Vanguards. This construct organizes these multi-disciplinary, capability-focused investments based on characteristics such as effort maturity, established military utility, technical viability and transitionability. Each have built-in off-ramps to promote transition. The process is overseen by an Executive Committee, whose membership includes the DAF Technical Leadership (TEO, HAF/ST, and USSF/STR), operational requirements representatives (HAF A5/7, USSF S5B), and acquisitions communities (SAF/AQR, SAF/SQT). Vanguard Pathfinders are focused thrust areas which comprise of numerous, exploratory efforts intended to establish military utility and technical viability of concepts under exploration. Extensive socialization occurs within these efforts to inform activities inherent to these emerging investment areas. Concept socialization activities include but are not limited to the codification of the operational champion, planning engagements with other government R&D, exploratory outreach to industry and other non-traditional partners, and the initial identification of potential transition partners. These investments seek to identify and integrate emerging applied research efforts from government labs and/or industry into integrated technology demonstrations. Vanguard pathfinder teams seek to bring appropriate communities together to answer the question "are we solving the right problem” while establishing technical viability of the concepts under consideration. This phase can be accelerated or bypassed for efforts with well understood operational requirements and concepts with established technical viability. Pathfinders serve as the pipeline for DAF's future Vanguards Prospects and Vanguards. Vanguard Prospects focus on maturing contributing technologies in accordance with the technical objectives of the effort while further engaging acquisitions communities and industry partners. Teams draw in technologies from multiple sources and ensure use of the right technologies. By establishing fielding strategies, teams solve the problem in a transitionable way. Vanguard Prospects provide focused S&T investment to accelerate the maturation of contributing technologies while laying the foundation for full Vanguard status or a Program. Vanguards build on the foundational work of the earlier stages, maturing and integrating contributing technologies to demonstrate solutions to the department's most pressing S&T problems based on DAF strategic requirements. Vanguard Programs - high risk by design - are focused, Secretary of the Air Force priority initiatives with enterprise commitment. They are commissioned by the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and the Vice Chief of Space Operations as DAF investments. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver science & technology capabilities. This program is in Budget Activity 3, Advanced Technology Development because this budget activity includes development of subsystems and components and efforts to integrate subsystems and components into system prototypes for field experiments and/or tests in a simulated environment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2025
- Source ID
- 630320_0603032F_3_3600_PB_2025
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