Science Addressing Hybrid Threats
Abstract
Naval expeditionary forces increasingly face hybrid adversaries using conventional weapons combined with terror, crime, cyber, information operations, etc. A hybrid adversary is flexible and adapts quickly to synchronize advanced state weapons systems, disruptive commercial technologies, cheap expedient homemade weapons, and a variety of novel tactics. The Sciences Addressing Hybrid Threats (SAHT) (formerly Counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED)) activity seeks to establish and nurture science to counter these growing challenges, while collaborating with and leveraging results from more traditional Naval research portfolios. The SAHT Sciences program provides research for Naval Forces to fight hybrid threats, and adversaries in expeditionary operations. Naval Expeditionary Forces need science advances to address a range of Basic Research challenges that result from physical and operational environmental limitations so harsh that solutions push basic discovery and invention. Naval Forces able to operate amphibiously and in the littoral will have all of their capabilities exposed to degrading sea and land physical effects. Expeditionary forces must be agile and lethal but will be constrained by size, weight, and power requirements and must be sustained across large areas. A hybrid adversary can be state or non-state using a combination of conventional and irregular methods and weapons. For example, a hybrid threat could use criminal acts in concert with conventional artillery and IEDs and in turn social media for combined effects greater and broader than the sum of the parts. These coordinated threats occur across the spectrum of conflict. The efforts research focus include: physics addressing the electromagnetic spectrum for use in Command and Control and high energy physics addressing Directed Energy Weapons; machine perception, reasoning and collaborative behavior; artificial intelligence enabling future Intelligence systems; optics, electronics, and photonics research to enable revolutionary spectral awareness in small low power sensors; computer and network science to enable expeditionary computing coupled with Data Science research to conduct data analysis; fundamental chemistry and materials science research to advance technologies to support sustainment; basic materials research to explore and improve armor and structural materials; electrochemical energy conversion and storage research to sustain the force; chemistry and physics to provide disruptive energetics for expeditionary fires; and biology, physiology, and cognitive sciences addressing the Naval Expeditionary warfighters human abilities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2022
- Source ID
- 98fedce317ffbe02334d1d85229cbb64