Marine Corps Landing Force Technology

This activity investigates robust, resilient, and secure networked communications pathways and capability that support an expeditionary force's distributed and disaggregated operations. Research supports both networked and local computation for communications that exploits the expeditionary forces close physical proximity to threats while mitigating shortfalls commiserate within denied, degraded, intermittent, or limited (DDIL) communications environments. Expeditionary forces must operate in the cyber domain and in addition to defending communications networks, vehicles, and weapons systems, are reliant on electronic controllers for basic operations and as such are susceptible to cyber attacks. Technologies addressed within this activity include secure, robust, self-forming, mobile communications networks; distributed computing to support information dissemination to all echelons; improved capabilities in over-the-horizon, beyond line-of-sight, and restricted environment communications and sensors; and software and data processing to support formation of an appropriate common picture. Other efforts include power management, low detectability, conforming to size, weight, power, cost constraints, and interoperability within the joint environment.

The activity investigates a large variety of weapons technologies to enhance fires capabilities of Fleet Marine Forces as part of joint maritime campaigns to counter emerging threats and create new opportunities for the joint force to secure operational advantage. Research efforts increase range, lethality, and capacity, while maintaining mobility and tempo to operate inside actively contested maritime domains, to achieve overmatch fires capabilities when operating within the landward portions of the littorals, and to provide weapons system capabilities able to persist when operating within the adversary's intelligence, surveillance, collection, and weapons ranges. The focus on low size, weight, power, and cost of weapons components and weapon systems, having low manpower and cognitive burdens to operate, with low logistics burdens, stresses technical solutions. Weapons system technologies being developed include fire control, launch and propulsion, precision guidance, navigation, and control, seekers, fuzing, and lethality.

This activity investigates new ways and means to protect forces and materiel across all domain threats in all operational settings, from contested maritime, air, and land domains, to include complex urban environments. The portfolio protects against adversaries' challenges such as guided-rockets and missiles, mobile coastal artillery, threat electronic warfare, and counter intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and waterborne threats from ports, harbors, and in the littorals. Mines and obstacles, both in the water and ashore, also complicate amphibious operations. The activity invests in vehicle survivability aspects that are exacerbated due to size, weight, power, and cost constraints inherent to Marine Corps operations and the harsh nature of maritime environments. Technologies addressed can include lightweight armor for ballistic and underbody blast protection, advanced sensors for counter tactical surveillance, active protection, signature management, and exploration of expeditionary undersea warfare capabilities. This activity also considers technology for payloads, packages and sensors that are needed by amphibious vehicles (both manned and unmanned) including mine counter measures; explosive hazard defeat systems; and obstacle and threat detection systems as well as technologies for improved protection for individuals against blast, ballistic and blunt impact threats.

This activity investigates two technology investment areas: warrior resilience, and decision-making and expertise development. Warrior resilience is focused on advanced training technologies and methodologies that enhance neural, cognitive, and physical readiness. Decision making and expertise development accelerates and improves the advancement in retention of skills in decision making, situation awareness, including individual and team adaptability and coordination on decentralized, dynamic and dispersed battlefields.

This R-2 Activity addresses the applied research associated with the Marine Corps' participation in the Department of the Navy's (DoN) Future Naval Capabilities (FNC) Program. The objective of the work in this Program Element (PE) is to develop and mature technologies needed by the Marine Corps to initiate FNCs in PE 0603640M Marine Corps Advanced Technology Development (ATD) that can be commenced at higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). Investments in this activity are coordinated with similar and non-duplicative efforts in PE 0602750N Future Naval Capabilities Applied Research, where the Navy's participation in the FNC Program is funded. The FNC Program is structured to accelerate the transition of new technologies to the Fleet and Force. Each effort is assessed for its technology maturity and transition commitment. Funding for FNCs, which have Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) of 4/5 to 6 and also have transition funding commitments from acquisition Programs of Record, are resourced in PE 0603640M Marine Corps Advanced Technology Development. Funding for technology candidates at lower TRLs (3 to 4) are resourced in this PE 0602131M, Marine Corps Landing Force Technology. ONR works closely with the Resource Sponsors and acquisition stakeholders to develop high priority technological capabilities needed by the operational forces. FNC Budget Activity (BA) 2 investments develop candidate FNC technologies in an agile fashion by exploiting technology advances that respond rapidly to naval needs. This approach facilitates an optimum response when developing and maturing the technology options that can be developed further in PE 0603640M Marine Corps Advanced Technology Development (ATD). The FNC Program favors a high level of collaboration. PE R-2 activities are mostly organized by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Departments, which are tasked to collaborate with the acquisition stakeholders and their resource sponsors. A complete accounting of the technology candidates being developed and a full disposition of each technology development effort funded in this PE is provided annually to the Congressional oversight committees.

This activity investigates the practical discipline and real world application of the deployment, sustainment, reconstitution, and re-deployment of forces engaged in expeditionary operations. Logistics replaces mass with assured knowledge and speed, is equally capable ashore or afloat in austere environments, and is fully scalable to meet uncertain requirements. This includes efficient and responsive force sustainment, planning and directing logistics operations, logistics demand reduction, fleet maintenance, and expeditionary energy. Expeditionary Energy enhances combat capability of expeditionary warfighters by increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of energy production, storage, distribution and use. Beyond traditional energy efforts, this portfolio also looks at other issues, including energy-efficient behaviors and hybridization of energy sources. These pillars are thoroughly integrated and perpetually related in execution.

This activity investigates new ways and means to land forces and material through contested sea-land surface interfaces to then conduct maneuver warfare. In order to enable future Amphibious Operations, research efforts will support autonomous operations across the sea-surf-ground environment, improved fuel efficiency and speed of amphibious vehicles, amphibious vehicle technologies, water performance, and amphibious payloads to change the dynamics of a surface amphibious assault. This includes the emergence of manned-unmanned teaming and autonomous vehicle collaboration. The technologies included in this work address areas of mobility, materials, propulsion, signature reduction, modularity, and unmanned systems.

This activity supports the planning and integration of technology development efforts across the entire Program Element (PE). In conjunction with the Concepts Based Capabilities System and the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, unique and novel concepts for advanced warfighting are developed and validated. Effectiveness analyses are conducted to identify the synergistic effects that can be achieved through the integration of emerging technology with innovative tactics, doctrine, and techniques. Technology assessments are conducted to determine the supporting technologies that have the highest impact across the warfare areas, and warrant further investment within this PE. Technology Roadmapping is conducted to help identify opportunities to leverage technology development within the Department of the Navy and the Department of Defense, as well as with the commercial sector and university communities. The resultant technology investment strategy is developed and used to guide out-year technology development efforts.

This activity provides freedom of maneuver and influence in the cyber-electronic warfare domain while simultaneously denying the same to the adversary and protecting critical command systems. Technologies are being developed using a multi-disciplinary approach that combines Radio Frequency electronics, digital signal processing, computer engineering, software engineering, machine learning and data science to support Naval Expeditionary warfighters operating with size, weight and power constrained equipment in denied, degraded, intermittent, or limited (DDIL) communications. Areas of applied research include distributed precision time, predictive software defined radio architectures, coordinated cyber and spectrum maneuver to mitigate detection and exploitation, tactical cyber visualization, discovering and mapping networks in dense urban environments, contextual awareness and blind channel characterization.

This activity investigates enhanced situational awareness, persistent surveillance, and tactical decision making through automated analysis of data and rapid integration of information and acquired knowledge. Specific technologies in this activity effectively present actionable information to decision-makers, especially those at the lower command levels. This includes biometric monitoring for expeditionary operations, operational Course Of Action (COA) development, and autonomous surveillance in support of distributed operations.