Understand (Applied Research)
Abstract
The Understand Applied Research Project provides the Joint Force the ability to detection, identification and characterization of chemical and biological (CB) threat agents and decision support. This includes classification and/or identification of the threat and potentially the amount of CBRN hazards in all physical states. Efforts provide the ability to characterize the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) hazard to a commander and develop a clear understanding of the current and predicted CBRN situation; collect, query, and assimilate information from sensors, intelligence and medical communities, etc., in near real time to inform decisions; and provide actual and potential impacts of CBRN hazards. Thrust Areas included in this Project are: (1)CBRN Battlespace Surveillance, Alerting & Response (2)CBRN Decision Aids (3)CBRN Situational Awareness (4)Employment Characterization (5)Environmental Response (6)First Look (7)Host Response (8)Technical Surprise (9)Unattended Perimeter Monitoring (10)Unconventional Detection Modalities (11) Distributed CB Reconnaissance (12) Expeditionary Analytical Toolkit (ExAnT) (13) Chemical Diagnostics (14) Diagnostic Building Blocks (15) Emerging Threats CBRN Battlespace Surveillance, Alerting & Response: Development of algorithms that generate and disseminate warning to personnel in time to prevent exposure to or limit the impact of CBRN threats. This thrust area conducts data collection trials to support algorithm development; leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify key indicators, combinations of indicators, and sensing modalities to reduce false alarms and predict the likelihood of exposure; explore remote and contactless monitoring and analysis for application in Warfighter chemical and biological threat exposure alerting. CBRN Decision Aids: Providing tools that assess risk from CBRN hazards and identify courses of action to limit impact. This thrust area permits connectivity, enabling the dynamic discovery, querying, and control of sensors through standard protocols; allow for dynamic discovery and integration between networked devices at the tactical edge to enable sharing of information and capabilities across connected components. CBRN Situational Awareness: Providing operationally relevant context to CB-specific phenomena data to ensure the Joint Force is able to characterize new CB hazards and mitigate their effects on mission success. This thrust area provides the analytic framework to determine optimal defense postures by extrapolating scientific data generated during the course of technology development and hazard assessment data into an assessment to help inform operational utility. Employment Characterization: Studies to help refine threat assessments and potential impacts of indoor or outdoor releases of threat agents on operations, strategy, and capabilities. This area includes both laboratory chamber-based dissemination characterization, as well as full-scale outdoor trials. Results from studies help determine risks posed by an agent employed in a similar fashion by an adversary. Environmental Response: Efforts to evaluate CB threats that have been released into the environment (e.g. persistence, degradation, and decomposition), along with the affects environmental conditions (e.g. ozone, ultraviolet, humidity, etc.) have on those agents. These efforts identify and characterize agent behavior of chemical and biological agents in the environment (including soil, water, and plants), in clothing, on and in structures, and on equipment to support model development and decision-making tools. First Look: Provides the initial characterization of potential CB threats, and provides a fundamental assessment of the potential risk they pose. Investments in this area evaluate agents as well as develop methods and capabilities to quickly and accurately characterize chemical, biological, and toxin agent properties to inform capability development, modeling, CB defense community stakeholders. Host Response: Characterizes effects (acute vs. chronic) from exposure to toxic chemical or infectious biological agents using operationally relevant exposure scenarios, exposure routes and appropriate assessment methods and models. All of these are used to improve the understanding of mechanisms of action, infectivity, morbidity, and mortality of agents, and provide adverse health effects information and other relevant data. Data from host response studies are also used to help develop predictive capabilities for capturing the human response to chemical and biological threat agents. The FY23 efforts include additional investments in enhanced biodefense and pandemic preparedness. Technical Surprise: Mitigate surprise by providing technology watch and horizon scanning tools to assess advances in technologies and scientific knowledge, with focus on breakthroughs that overcome bottlenecks and enable development of capabilities of concern. Efforts in this area improve threat awareness scanning capabilities to allow for continuous, real-time monitoring for identifying emerging threats, maintain situational awareness of the threat environment, and assess technological convergence. Unattended Perimeter Monitoring: Invests in efforts supporting Integrated Early Warning and Integrated Layered Defense by establishing a layered defense capability through developing and implementing automated and integrated technologies enabling unattended monitoring for biothreats. Unconventional Detection Modalities: Develops disruptive technologies to identify unknown or emerging chemical threats and develops chemical sensors that can operate in complex threat environments with high fidelity. Efforts include utilizing machine learning and other advanced computational tools to increase detection and identification accuracy, reduce false alarms, and enable mapping of hazardous locations to support integrated early warning (IEW) capabilities. The FY23 efforts include additional investments in enhanced biodefense and pandemic preparedness. Distributed CB Reconnaissance: Enhances early warning and situational awareness of CB threats while reducing potential Warfighter exposure using distributed CB reconnaissance tools to include low-cost point sensors and sensing/collection systems for unmanned platforms. Efforts include developing threat sensing and sampling payloads for manned and unmanned aerial and ground platforms to enhance early warning and situational awareness of CB threats. Expeditionary Analytical Toolkit (ExAnT): Provides general and specialized forces with the ability to modernize detection technologies for traditional threats while enhancing detection capabilities for non-traditional, emerging, and mixed chemical hazards. Chemical Diagnostics: Discovers innovative and integrated capabilities that are able to diagnose threats across the chemical spectrum and enhance force protection by investing in diagnostics for exposure to traditional and nontraditional Chemical Warfare Agents (CWA), including pharmaceutical based agents. Efforts include coordinating with Threat Agent Science and the Intelligence Community and to understand the chemical threat space. 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. The FY23 efforts include additional investments in enhanced biodefense and pandemic preparedness. Emerging Threats: Efforts to push beyond the boundaries of the traditional threat list in the field of diagnostics to better prepare for surprise. Investments in developing diagnostic systems that leverage novel approaches to characterize the pathogen or the host response enables the delivery of actionable information, such as administering the appropriate antibiotic, antiviral, or vaccine to a medic or primary care provider. The FY23 efforts include additional investments in enhanced biodefense and pandemic preparedness.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2023
- Source ID
- UN2_0602384BP_2_0400_PB_2023
Related Documents
- Root: CHEMICAL/BIOLOGICAL DEFENSE (APPLIED RESEARCH)
- Child Accomplishment: 1) CBRN Battlespace Surveillance, Alerting & Response
- Child Accomplishment: 2) CBRN Decision Aids
- Child Accomplishment: 3) CBRN Situational Awareness
- Child Accomplishment: 4) Employment Characterization
- Child Accomplishment: 5) Environmental Response
- Child Accomplishment: 6) First Look (Chemical and Biological)
- Child Accomplishment: 7) Host Response
- Child Accomplishment: 8) Host Response - Enhanced Biodefense (ENBD)
- Child Accomplishment: 9) Technical Surprise
- Child Accomplishment: 10) Unattended Perimeter Monitoring
- Child Accomplishment: 11) Unconventional Detection Modalities
- Child Accomplishment: 12) Unconventional Detection Modalities - Enhanced Biodefense (ENBD)
- Child Accomplishment: 13) Distributed CB Reconnaissance
- Child Accomplishment: 14) Enhanced/Emerging Biothreat Sensing
- Child Accomplishment: 15) Expeditionary Analytical Toolkit (ExAnT)
- Child Accomplishment: 16) Chemical Diagnostics
- Child Accomplishment: 17) Diagnostic Building Blocks
- Child Accomplishment: 18) Diagnostic Building Blocks - Enhanced Biodefense (ENBD)
- Child Accomplishment: 19) Emerging Threats
- Child Accomplishment: 20) Emerging Threats - Enhanced Biodefense (ENBD)