Test Infrastructure

Abstract

The Test Infrastructure project provides a unique national test bed capability for simulated Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) facility characterization, weapon-target interaction, and WMD facility defeat testing to respond to operational needs by developing and maintaining test beds used by the Department of Defense (DoD), the Services, the Combatant Commanders, and other federal agencies to evaluate the implications of WMD, conventional, and other special weapon use against U.S. military or civilian systems and targets. It leverages fifty years of testing expertise to investigate weapons effects and target response across the spectrum of hostile environments that could be created by proliferate nations or terrorist organizations with access to advanced conventional weapons or WMD (nuclear, biological and chemical). The project maintains testing infrastructure to support the testing requirements of warfighters, other government agencies, and friendly foreign countries on a cost reimbursable basis. It creates testing strategies and a WMD Test Bed infrastructure focusing on the structural response of buildings and Hard & Deeply Buried Targets that house nuclear, biological, and chemical facilities. It provides support for full and sub-scale tests that focus on weapon-target interaction with fixed soft and hardened facilities to include above ground facilities, cut-and-cover facilities, and deep underground tunnels. This capability does not exist anywhere else within the DoD and supports the counterproliferation pillar of the National Strategy to Combat WMD. This project supports the National Strategy for Countering Biological Threat priority/focus area 3) Capability Expansion and 4) Leveraging Science. DTRA conducts an intergovernmental test program with the Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) for Biological Agent Defeat testing. In FY 2014 DTRA will continue research for Biological Re-aerosolization in conjunction with DoD/DHS/EPA to help develop precise measurement technologies for residual biological pathogens reentering air after settling—Canceled by DHS. In addition, DTRA supports the development and demonstration of Transatlantic Collaboration Biological Resiliency Demo (TACBRD), a DoD capability to shape interagency approach to counter a wide area biological event impacting U.S. and partner nations’ key civilian/military infrastructure. Particularly in support of capability expansion, DTRA conducts Interagency Biological Restoration Demonstration (IBRD) testing in conjunction with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reduce the time and resources necessary to recover and restore wide urban areas, military installations, and critical infrastructure, following a biological incident, but is transitioning into TaCBRD. Additionally, DTRA is funding an internal Research program (Innovative Research Program) which examines the novel use of “MicroNeedles” for use in physiological monitoring and/or drug delivery; This project is being conducted by Sandia National Labs and the first phase will be completed by February 28, 2013. The decrease from FY 2012 to FY 2013 is predominately due to the reallocation of funds from infrastructure development in Project RR - Test Infrastructure to weapons effects and Planning tools in Project RM - Counterforce Technologies, and reduced investment in test infrastructure environment restoration support and the WMD National Test Bed (TB). The increase from FY 2013 to FY 2014 is predominately due to the realignment of test bed facilities from RT-Target Assessment Technologies in Program Element (PE) 0603160BR to RR-Test Infrastructure in PE 0602718BR to better reflect the nature of those activities.

Document Details

• Document Type: Project
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2014
• Source ID: RR_0602718BR_2_0400_PB_2014

Tags

Readers

• Critical Infrastructure Protection in CBRN and WMD Threats.
• Emergency Management and Homeland Security.