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. In FY 2023, the Chemical Biological Defense Program (CBDP) RDT&E Projects were restructured to align with the CBDP portfolio construct. EN3 efforts in FY 2022 remain in Projects TM3 and TT3. This restructuring provided standardization and alignment across CBDP research, development and acquisition efforts. Thrust Areas included in this Project are: (1) Battlefield Readiness (2) Diagnostic Building Blocks (3) Emerging Threats (4) Medical Countermeasures Initiative (5) Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) (6) Technology Concept (7) User Assessment Battlefield Readiness: Provides innovative capabilities to the warfighter that increase the speed of relevancy, enhance troop preparedness, aid 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. Efforts include additional investments in Chem Bio Incident Preparedness and Response. 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. Efforts include additional investments in Chem Bio Incident Preparedness and Response. 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. Efforts include additional investments in Chem Bio Incident Preparedness and Response. Medical Countermeasures Initiative: Advances medical capabilities to support CB Incident Preparedness and Response (CBIPR). Efforts focus on vaccine platform capability development; novel encapsulation and delivery strategies that optimally tune the immune response to provide greater protection from a vaccine as well as laboratory sustainment for the Animal Model/Response Capability; genomics; and other medical countermeasure development through antimicrobial susceptibility projects. ATD: Execution of the ATD campaign plan across the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP) will close the identified gaps by conducting dynamic mission-oriented, scenario based, threat relevant integrated capability demonstrations with Warfighters employing innovative, mature and optimized S&T technologies. 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 Assessment: Execution of the User Assessments provide dynamic mission-based scenarios, exercises and field experiments to close identified gaps and can expedite technology development as well as ensure transition and fielding success.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2024
- Source ID
- EN3_0603384BP_3_0400_PB_2024
Related Documents
- Root: Chemical and Biological Defense Program - Advanced Development
- Child Accomplishment: 1) Battlefield Readiness
- Child Accomplishment: 2) Diagnostic Building Blocks
- Child Accomplishment: 3) Emerging Threats
- Child Accomplishment: 4) Medical Countermeasures Initiative
- Child Accomplishment: 5) Advanced Technology Demonstration
- Child Accomplishment: 6) Technology Concept
- Child Accomplishment: 7) User Assessment