Understand (Applied Research)
Abstract
The Understand Applied Research Project provides the Joint Force with the abilities to detect, identify, and characterize chemical and biological (CB) threat agents. This includes classification and/or identification of the threat and potentially the amount of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) hazards in all physical states. Efforts provide the ability to characterize the 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. In FY 2023, the Chemical Biological Defense Program (CBDP) RDT&E Projects have been restructured to align with the CBDP portfolio construct. UN2 efforts in FY 2022 remain in Projects CB2 and TM2. This restructuring provides standardization and alignment across CBDP research, development and acquisition efforts. Thrust Areas included in this Project are: (1) Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Battlespace Sensing, Alerting & Response (2) CBRN Decision Aids (3) CBRN Situational Awareness (4) Chemical Diagnostics (5) Diagnostic Building Blocks (6) Emerging Threats (7) Distributed CB Reconnaissance (8) Emerging and Enhanced Biothreat Sensing (9) Employment Characterization (10) Environmental Response (11) First Look (Chemical and Biological) (12) Host Response (13) Technical Surprise (14) Expeditionary Analytical Toolkit (ExAnT) (15) Unattended Perimeter Monitoring (16) Unconventional Detection Modalities CBRN Battlespace Sensing, 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. 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. 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. 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. Enhanced and Emerging Biothreat Sensing: Establishes a capability to rapidly develop advanced, agile, pathogen-agnostic laboratory and field forward detection capabilities to detect emerging and enhanced biological threats across all force echelons (presumptive, field confirmatory, theater validation, and definitive identification). Further, multiple biological measurements will be used to modernize laboratory capabilities and leverage synthetic biology methods and tools to deliver enhanced biothreat sensing/detection capabilities to the Joint Force. Employment Characterization: Conduct studies to help refine threat assessments and potential impacts of indoor or outdoor releases of threat agents on operations, strategy, and capabilities. Studies will include both laboratory, chamber-based dissemination characterization and full-scale outdoor trials. Results from studies will help determine risks posed by an agent employed in a similar fashion by an adversary. Environmental Response: Evaluate CB threats that have been released into the environment (e.g., persistence, degradation, and decomposition) along with the effects environmental conditions (e.g., ozone, ultraviolet, humidity, etc.) have on those agents. Identify and characterize behavior of chemical and biological agents in the environment (to include soil, water, and plants) on clothing, on and in structures, and on equipment to support model development and decision-making tools. First Look (Chemical and Biological): Provide the initial characterization of potential CB threats and provide a fundamental assessment of the potential risk(s) they pose. Evaluate agents and develop both methods and capabilities to quickly and accurately characterize chemical, biological, and toxin agent properties to inform capability development and modeling for CB defense community stakeholders. Host Response: Characterize effects (acute vs. chronic) from exposure to toxic chemicals or infectious biological agents using operationally relevant exposure scenarios, exposure routes, and appropriate assessment methods and models. Improve understanding of the mechanisms of action, infectivity, morbidity, and mortality of agents and provide adverse health effects information and other relevant data. Data from host response studies will also be used to help develop predictive capabilities for identifying the human response to chemical and biological threat agents. Technical Surprise: Mitigate technical surprise by providing technology over-watch and horizon scanning tools to assess advances in technologies and scientific knowledge, with a focus on breakthroughs that can/will overcome bottlenecks and enable the development of capabilities of concern. Improve threat awareness scanning capabilities allowing for continuous, real-time monitoring to identify emerging threats, maintain situational awareness of the threat environment, and assess technological convergence. Efforts include additional investments in enhanced biodefense and pandemic preparedness. 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. 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 chemical and biological threats. Unconventional Detection Modalities: Develops disruptive technologies pushing the boundaries of currently fielded sensors and detection technologies to develop novel sensors that operate in complex threat environments with high fidelity.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Project
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2024
- Source ID
- UN2_0602384BP_2_0400_PB_2024
Related Documents
- Root: Chemical and Biological Defense Program
- Child Accomplishment: 1) CBRN Battlespace Sensing, Alerting, and Response
- Child Accomplishment: 2) CBRN Decision Aids
- Child Accomplishment: 3) CBRN Situational Awareness
- Child Accomplishment: 4) Chemical Diagnostics
- Child Accomplishment: 5) Diagnostic Building Blocks
- Child Accomplishment: 6) Emerging Threats
- Child Accomplishment: 7) Diagnostic Building Blocks - Enhanced Biodefense (ENBD)
- Child Accomplishment: 8) Emerging Threats - Enhanced Biodefense (ENBD)
- Child Accomplishment: 9) Unconventional Detection Modalities - Enhanced Biodefense (ENBD)
- Child Accomplishment: 10) Distributed CB Reconnaissance - Biological Detection
- Child Accomplishment: 11) Emerging and Enhanced Biothreat Sensing
- Child Accomplishment: 12) Unattended Perimeter Monitoring - Biological Detection
- Child Accomplishment: 13) Unconventional Detection Modalities - Biological Detection
- Child Accomplishment: 14) Employment Characterization
- Child Accomplishment: 15) Environmental Response
- Child Accomplishment: 16) First Look (Chemical and Biological)
- Child Accomplishment: 17) Host Response
- Child Accomplishment: 18) Technical Surprise
- Child Accomplishment: 19) Technical Surprise - Enhanced Biodefense (ENBD)
- Child Accomplishment: 20) Distributed CB Reconnaissance - Chemical Detection
- Child Accomplishment: 21) Expeditionary Analytical Toolkit (ExAnT) - Chemical Detection
- Child Accomplishment: 22) Unattended Perimeter Monitoring - Chemical Detection
- Child Accomplishment: 23) Unconventional Detection Modalities - Chemical Detection