Enabling Investments (ATD)
Abstract
The Enabling Investments Advanced Technology Development (ATD) Project focuses on early and continued involvement of the Warfighter in the technology development process and has implemented a user community engagement process to align science and technology (S&T) activities with operational needs and ensure functional design. This process begins with the identification of an innovative technology concept, continues through the assessment of the prototype, and ends at the operational and utility demonstrations to enhance transition to an advanced developer. Enabling efforts in this area support dedicated infrastructure capabilities, demonstrations, and overarching development support functions as portfolio enablers responding to emerging threats. Thrust Areas included in this Project are: (1) Advanced Technology Demonstration (2) Technology Concept (3) User Assessments (4) Battlefield Readiness (5) Emerging Threats (6) Diagnostic Building Blocks (7) Medical Countermeasures Initiative Advanced Technology Demonstration: Facilitates Warfighters and other operational stakeholders participation in field demonstrations that evaluate integrated prototype systems in high fidelity and realistic operating environments. ATDs provide feedback to developers and help shape S&T innovative solutions for employment across the spectrum of Joint Force actions in the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) defense arena. Advanced Technology Demonstration outcomes mitigate transition risk by demonstrating operational utility and enhancing transition to an identified Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP) program of record. Technology Concept: Validates technology requirements and scopes future S&T programs with the User community early in technology development process. Results from these experiments shape operating concepts, doctrine, and materiel systems requirements for the future Joint Force and informs the utility of emerging technologies for subsequent portfolio investment decisions. Technology Concept outcomes explore new concepts of employment for emerging capabilities to shift the current operational paradigm. User Assessments: Provides opportunities for early Warfighter input into the form, fit and function of maturing S&T prototypes and technologies. Early user assessments can validate employment concepts, and serve as baselines for future Advanced Technology Demonstration efforts. User Assessment outcomes explore how to push the state of future technology through system mockup and early prototyping. Battlefield Readiness: Provides innovative capabilities to the Warfighter that increase the speed of relevancy, enhances troop preparedness, aids with triage support, and provides diagnosis at lower roles of care. Develops field forward medical diagnostics to provide multiplexed detection of biological and toxin threats and leverages immunodiagnostics to identify specific targets using current or novel approaches to enable broader and more accurate diagnosis for a range of targets and across a wider window following exposure. Emerging Threats: Invests in diagnostic tests that enable the delivery of actionable information, such as administering the appropriate medical countermeasure, to greatly advance efficacy rates and turnaround time for Warfighter wellness. Efforts focus on better preparing for surprise by developing diagnostic systems that leverage novel approaches to characterize pathogens or host response and can identify the classification of threat (e.g., bacterial vs viral) from an unknown sample. Diagnostic Building Blocks: Develops foundational capabilities for the entire diagnostics portfolio; invests in innovative, cutting-edge technologies to improve the development pipeline for diagnostics; and exploits areas in artificial intelligence synthetic biology and machine learning to develop novel and rapid diagnostic tests for utilization. Efforts accelerate assay development timelines and optimize test parameters by leveraging novel concepts and tools that readily allow a pivot to assay development for emerging threats. Medical Countermeasures Initiative: Advances medical capabilities to support CB Incident Preparedness Response (CBIPR). Efforts focus on Advanced Development and Manufacturing capability development through the Bacterial Expression, CRM Conjugate, Marburg vesicular stomatitis vaccine (VSV MARV), deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) Vaccine and Advanced Development and Manufacturing of Antibody Technology (ADAMANT) Insertions projects; laboratory sustainment for the Animal Model/Response Capability; genomics; and chemical warfare agent (CWA) Diagnostics; and other medical countermeasure development through the In-vitro Affinity Diagnostic System and antimicrobial susceptibility projects.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2023
- Source ID
- EN3_0603384BP_3_0400_PB_2023
Related Documents
- Root: CHEMICAL/BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE (ATD)
- Child Accomplishment: 1) Advanced Technology Demonstration
- Child Accomplishment: 2) Technology Concept
- Child Accomplishment: 3) User Assessment
- Child Accomplishment: 4) Battlefield Readiness
- Child Accomplishment: 5) Emerging Threats
- Child Accomplishment: 6) Diagnostic Building Blocks
- Child Accomplishment: 7) Medical Countermeasures Initiative