Printed from https://fiscalreceipts.com/program/0602144A/ — data as of August 12, 2026. Every figure is citation-backed; see the page online for per-number provenance.
Ground Technology
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Budget Figures
FY2026 award data is a partial year — USASpending awards are reported on a rolling basis and the fiscal year does not close until September 30. why partial FY2026 data? →
| Fiscal year | Amount |
|---|---|
| FY24 | $266.7M |
| FY25 | $155.8M |
| FY26 | $56.3M |
All series figures: R-1 TOA · PB2026
The vertical scale does not start at zero: the baseline sits just below this program’s smallest year, so a low point on this line is not a small amount. Read the shape for direction and the grid below for the figures.
● actuals (line) · ○ enacted · ◇ request — gaps are editions the program is absent from, never interpolated.
| Series | FY18 | FY19 | FY20 | FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | FY26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actuals | $0 | $0 | $143.2M | $159.4M | $214.5M | $256.9M | $266.7M | ||
| Enacted | – | $0 | $143.9M | $158.2M | $216.6M | $264.5M | $60.0M | $155.8M | |
| Request | – | – | $35.2M | $28.0M | $56.4M | $52.8M | $60.0M | $66.7M | $56.3M |
blank = series not published for this year; – = absent from that edition.
Asked vs spent: the PB2024 book requested $60.0M for FY2024; the PB2026 book reported $266.7M as actual total obligation authority — $206.7M above the request. 266.7 − 60.0 = 206.7 USD millions — the compact figures above are rounded for reading.
Program Lineage
No predecessor/successor lineage was recorded for this program element — no FY-to-FY transfer into or out of this line was stated in the ingested J-books, and none was inferred from the program structure.
Description
Mission — Ground Technology
This Program element (PE) executes research that support and enable the Army's modernization priority for the Next Generation of Combat Vehicles including systems for the deployment and sustainment of ground movement and maneuver. This PE designs and validates technologies that are necessary and foundational for enduring and future ground movement, maneuver and protection of Soldiers and systems. Project CG6: Ground Vehicle Power and Energy Concepts and Tech in PE 0602144A was eliminated to reflect Department of Defense priorities and will cease investigating, designing, and developing electronics technologies to reduce size and weight of military vehicles. Project CI2: Ground Enabling University Applied Research in PE 0602144A was eliminated to reflect Department of Defense priorities and will cease university partnerships in the development of autonomy. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL); the Chemical Biological Center (CBC); the Data and Analysis Center (DAC); the University Technology Development Division; the Armaments Center (AC); the Aviation and Missile Center (AVMC); the Soldier Center (SC); the Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC); the Environmental Laboratory; and the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory; the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory; the Information Technology Laboratory; the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory. Work in this PE complements PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology), PE 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology), PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology), PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) and PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology). The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.499 million for Advisory and Assistance Services to promote efficiencies and advance the policies of the Administration in alignment with Executive Order 14222, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Cost Efficiency Initiative." The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.241 million for civilian personnel to optimize the workforce in compliance with Executive Order 14210, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative."
Mission — Robotics for Engineer Operations Technology
This research investigates and develops standoff robotic capabilities to reduce Soldier/Combat Engineer risks and fatalities while conducting activities essential to shaping the environment. It will close the gaps between commercial construction equipment and the requirements of the future Engineer Force to support maneuver, movement, and sustainment. This research will develop the capability to generate a near real-time site model with appropriate engineering details to allow unmanned system shaping of the environment through physical interaction (e.g., push, pull, lift, or dig). This effort will also develop the requisite mission planner and task execution controller that accepts input from the user and provides suggestions and feedback based on updates to the site model, reporting from hardware agents, and resource allocation logic. The end state goal is the development of beyond line of sight teleoperation and semiautonomous capabilities allowing Engineer robotic support to match pace in future combat environments. This effort will support the development, testing, and evaluation of prototypical robotic Combat Engineer equipment. This Project develops modeling and simulation tools that represent realistic states for Engineer robotic operations and develops and assesses semi-autonomous and autonomous construction equipment technologies needed for remote control Engineer operations. Work in this Project complements Program Element (PE) 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project BK8 (Robotics for Engineer Operations Advanced Technology). The work cited is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is coordinated with Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology). Work in this Project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Information Technology Laboratory, and Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
Mission — Materials and Manufacturing Research Technology
This Project links materials research, manufacturing processes, and design to enable high quality additive manufacturing products for Army applications through the development of high-performance feedstock materials (polymers, metals, and ceramics), physics-based process models, and in-situ process monitoring. Integration of these tools with process models enables real-time control and manipulation of material structure and properties to produce three-dimensional hybrid electronics packaging, power and energy sources and converters and new materials/structures for protection. The goal of this work is to develop robust physics-based models to optimize material properties, structures, and manufacturing processes for Army applications in protection, maneuver, power, sensing, and signature management necessary to rapidly respond to emerging and unknown threats in a battlefield environment. This work is done in coordination with Program Element (PE) 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology), 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) and 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL)
Mission — Explosives Forensics Technology
This Project investigates and develops sensor technology for the trace detection of military explosives, homemade explosives (HME), and solid chemical hazards found on contaminated surfaces. This project pursues research in signatures and algorithms required to provide improved trace analysis of chemical hazards to enable integration and augmentation into chemical and explosive detection equipment for the warfighter. Work in this Project compliments Program Element (PE) 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project BL3 (Explosives Forensics Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Chemical Biological Center (CBC).
Mission — Expedient Passive Protection Technology
This Project designs and develops rapidly deployable passive protective solutions; methodologies for intuitive decision support; and tactics, techniques, and procedures to increase the survivability of personnel, critical assets, and facilities from a range of threats. Through experimental and computational investigation and design, this project develops force protection technologies for complex and contested environments. This Project also develops expedient solutions and methodologies for decision support for protection against a range of threats, to include improvised, conventional, and emerging weapons such as ballistic missiles. Work in this Project complements Program Element (PE) 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project BL6 (Expedient Passive Protection Advanced Technology). The work cited is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army Modernization Strategy. Work in this Project supports the Army Science and Technology Ground Portfolio. Work in this Project is performed by the United States (US) Army Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
Mission — Power Projection in A2AD Environments Technology
This Project designs and develops remote assessment technologies to determine entry and maneuver corridors, develops site selection tools and decision support technologies for climatic regions in all season conditions including aviation site selection tools, enhanced automated route reconnaissance technologies, mobility models for extreme temperatures, and road capacity assessment technologies. These technologies reduce reliance on manned on-site reconnaissance for projection platform assessments and provide all season capacity predictions to ensure air and ground battlespace entry and maneuver. This Project also designs and develops material solutions to repair, rebuild and construct infrastructure required for movement and maneuver in highly contested, complex operational environments such as Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD). Work in this PE complements PE 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project BL8 (Power Projection in A2AD Environments Adv Tech). The work cited is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
Mission — Protection from Advanced Weapon Effects Technology
This Project designs and develops structural hardening, high-performance computing capabilities, and force protection technologies to enhance survivability of personnel and critical assets. This project investigates and develops advanced materials for protection against blast, fragmentation, and penetration through physical experiments and modeling and simulation. Additionally, this project investigates, designs, and develops passive protection technologies and protective design criteria to mitigate attack from emerging advanced threats. Work in this Program Element (PE) complements PE 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project BM1 (Protection from Advanced Weapon Effects Adv Tech). The work cited is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
Mission — Ground Technology Materials(CA)
Congressional Interest Item funding provided for Ground Technology Materials. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army Modernization Strategy.
Mission — Ground Vehicle Power and Energy Concepts and Tech
This Project investigates and develops advanced power and energy technologies for combat ground vehicles that are necessary for parallel hybrid, series hybrid, and all- electric vehicle systems. This Project investigates, designs, and develops electric conversion technologies to reduce size and weight of military vehicles while increasing performance and capabilities to support current and future mission loads and provide improved military vehicle mobility. Work in this Project is coordinated with PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology) / PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Data and Analysis Center (DAC).
Mission — Ground Protection Concepts and Technologies
This Project investigates advanced materials and mechanisms to defeat the most common and most dangerous threats that are expected to be encountered by our ground forces in near-, mid-, and far-term. This Project also designs and develops experimental and computational tools and techniques (high resolution instrumentation to observe impact events, theories, and algorithms to explain these phenomena and numerical implementation of these algorithms) for the development of mass-efficient armor mechanisms. This project designs and develops armor mechanisms that will be integrated to create multi-threat armor technologies and form the building blocks for Adaptive and Cooperative Protection Technologies in the Advanced Concepts for Active Defense Project (Program Element (PE) 0602145A Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology). Additionally, research will focus on subcomponent/component models to predict performance of early concepts and the means to assess effectiveness on ground platforms. The Project will balance designs and developments of active threat defeat measures with the necessary advanced passive and reactive components that will ultimately provide for full system solutions which meet the requirements of current and next generation ground tactical and combat vehicles. This Project is coordinated with and transitions to Projects in PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology), PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology), and builds upon weapon target interaction research in PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Human Autonomy Teaming
This Project performs applied research for capabilities that support teams of Soldier and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled systems to execute missions in complex, dynamic, multi-domain operations environments. Centered on ground vehicle mission planning and operations, this Project is focused on core technologies to enable Soldiers and AI-enabled systems to function as a team, to perform at high levels, and to adapt to adversarial actions and new mission requirements. This Project will enable future Soldiers with AI-enabled systems to perform complex missions with increasingly sophisticated technologies, and in increasingly complex, dynamic, sociotechnical environments. The applied research will provide the fundamental technologies to enable scalable Soldier-AI teams and team-centered dynamic tasking to effectively utilize the full capabilities of team and technologies. The research will include considerations to reduce data requirements for AI adaptation, increasing appropriate Soldier trust and use of technology, and ensuring ethical behavior by teams of Soldier and AI-enabled systems. The capabilities created by this research will lead to increased overall Soldier-AI team mission performance, improved Soldier-centric situation awareness technologies, and units that can effectively integrate within a multi-domain battlefield. Work in this Project is coordinated with PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology), PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) and PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project supports the Army Science and Technology Ground and Next Generation Combat Vehicle portfolios. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Ground Enabling University Applied Research
The Project leverages applied research from academia, in the focus areas of ground autonomy, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) and robotics, occupant/vehicle survivability and other ground platform technologies of importance to the Army. This Project performs discovery research efforts to focus more on mid to far-term Army modernization priorities while also maintaining delivery of near-term technologies critical to the next generation combat vehicles. This Project focuses on employment of research technologies originating from extramural applied research in academia pertaining to navigation/routing, autonomous robotic vehicles with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning as applied to ground mobility and maneuver, and other innovative ground enabling applied research technologies. This effort conducts applied research and development leading to potential emerging technologies in areas of strategic importance to the Army in autonomy, robotics and AI/ML, protection of both platform and occupant, and other ground platform technologies in propulsion, survivability, powertrain, etc., by bringing competitively selected Universities with research and development teams into Technical Alliances. Work in this Project complements Program Element (PE) 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology), PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology) and PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology). The work cited is consistent with Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Engineer Enablers Maneuver, LOG, & Sustainment Apl
This effort designs and develops decision support capabilities to modernize the Army's logistics planning. The project will research planning of logistics resupply via distributed supply routes through complex terrain and environmental conditions within a contested environment, while also improving the efficiency of logistics planning, enabling planners to develop and compare courses of action, and simulate logistics activities using complex algorithms. This effort links the engineer applications into a geospatial framework and enables planners to better understand the dynamic scenario development providing a simple and clear critical vulnerabilities assessment, easy visual comparison of inventories available, supply needs within the battlespace, and the logistics options to mitigate potential issues. Work in this Project complements Program Element (PE) 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project CV5 (Engineer Enablers Maneuver, LOG, & Sustainment Adv). The work cited is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work is performed at the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, Environmental Laboratory, Geotechnical Research Laboratory, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, and Information Technology Laboratory.
Mission — SAFR Alternatives for Readiness Applied Research
This Project will develop safer alternative technologies that enable Army readiness, support supply chain resilience, improve Soldier and worker safety and reduce environmental impacts, including reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The Project investigates alternatives for cross-cutting materials, undergoing or threatened by regulatory scrutiny, found in ground vehicles and all other types of Army weapon systems. Research areas of focus include alloys, ceramics, composites, textiles, maintenance fluids, propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics. This work addresses increasing threats to readiness associated with carcinogenic, toxic, and restricted materials such as lead, beryllium, perchlorates, volatile organic compounds and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (forever chemicals), which can diminish Soldier and community health, restrict training and interrupt critical maintenance activities. Future liabilities and risks are characterized early in the life cycle of material development to ensure truly sustainable alternatives. This Project also investigates, develops and designs technologies to allow Soldiers to rapidly prioritize risk for PFAS to enable informed, timely and cost-effective solutions. This Project complements and transitions technologies to Program Element (PE) 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project DA2 (SAFR Alternatives for Readiness Advanced Tech). Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL); the Armaments Center (AC); the Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC); the Soldier Center (SC); the Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC); and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).
Mission — Development of Obscurants
This project will investigate and evaluate obscurants (i.e., materials) and obscurant technologies that are designed to degrade threat force surveillance sensors and defeat the enemy's target acquisition devices, missile guidance, and directed energy weapons. This project investigates advanced, infra-red, and multi-spectral obscurant materials that will provide effective, safe, and efficient screening of deployed units and platforms. Work in this project compliments Program Element (PE) 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project DG2 (Advanced Development of Obscurants). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army Modernization Strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Chemical Biological Center (CBC).
Mission — Environmental Security Resilience Tech
This Project matures and demonstrates capabilities to support Army Environmental Security, providing decisions and support tools for critical mission environments to address natural resource impediments, man-made stressors, extreme weather, and environmental engineering challenges that impact mission, infrastructure, training activities, deployment staging or present security concerns to operations. Project capabilities span the functional domains of strategic support area management, emergency preparedness, surge capacity, environmental impact on operations, and analysis of future operational environment and environmental threats. This effort will provide new material solutions, models and decision support tools for operational planning and infrastructure management. Work in this Project complements Program Element (PE) 0602144A (DI7) / Project (Environmental Security Resilience Tech). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army Modernization Strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Environmental Laboratory, Construction Research Engineering Laboratory, and the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory.
Mission — Ground Technology
This Program element (PE) executes research that support and enable the Army's modernization priority for the Next Generation of Combat Vehicles including systems for the deployment and sustainment of ground movement and maneuver. This PE designs and validates technologies that are necessary and foundational for enduring and future ground movement, maneuver and protection of Soldiers and systems. Project CG6: Ground Vehicle Power and Energy Concepts and Tech in PE 0602144A was eliminated to reflect Department of Defense priorities and will cease investigating, designing, and developing electronics technologies to reduce size and weight of military vehicles. Project CI2: Ground Enabling University Applied Research in PE 0602144A was eliminated to reflect Department of Defense priorities and will cease university partnerships in the development of autonomy. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL); the Chemical Biological Center (CBC); the Data and Analysis Center (DAC); the University Technology Development Division; the Armaments Center (AC); the Aviation and Missile Center (AVMC); the Soldier Center (SC); the Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC); the Environmental Laboratory; and the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory; the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory; the Information Technology Laboratory; the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory. Work in this PE complements PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology), PE 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology), PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology), PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) and PE 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology). The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.499 million for Advisory and Assistance Services to promote efficiencies and advance the policies of the Administration in alignment with Executive Order 14222, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Cost Efficiency Initiative." The FY 2026 request was reduced by $0.241 million for civilian personnel to optimize the workforce in compliance with Executive Order 14210, "Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative."
Mission — Robotics for Engineer Operations Technology
This research investigates and develops standoff robotic capabilities to reduce Soldier/Combat Engineer risks and fatalities while conducting activities essential to shaping the environment. It will close the gaps between commercial construction equipment and the requirements of the future Engineer Force to support maneuver, movement, and sustainment. This research will develop the capability to generate a near real-time site model with appropriate engineering details to allow unmanned system shaping of the environment through physical interaction (e.g., push, pull, lift, or dig). This effort will also develop the requisite mission planner and task execution controller that accepts input from the user and provides suggestions and feedback based on updates to the site model, reporting from hardware agents, and resource allocation logic. The end state goal is the development of beyond line of sight teleoperation and semiautonomous capabilities allowing Engineer robotic support to match pace in future combat environments. This effort will support the development, testing, and evaluation of prototypical robotic Combat Engineer equipment. This Project develops modeling and simulation tools that represent realistic states for Engineer robotic operations and develops and assesses semi-autonomous and autonomous construction equipment technologies needed for remote control Engineer operations. Work in this Project complements Program Element (PE) 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project BK8 (Robotics for Engineer Operations Advanced Technology). The work cited is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is coordinated with Program Element (PE) 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology). Work in this Project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Information Technology Laboratory, and Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
Mission — Materials and Manufacturing Research Technology
This Project links materials research, manufacturing processes, and design to enable high quality additive manufacturing products for Army applications through the development of high-performance feedstock materials (polymers, metals, and ceramics), physics-based process models, and in-situ process monitoring. Integration of these tools with process models enables real-time control and manipulation of material structure and properties to produce three-dimensional hybrid electronics packaging, power and energy sources and converters and new materials/structures for protection. The goal of this work is to develop robust physics-based models to optimize material properties, structures, and manufacturing processes for Army applications in protection, maneuver, power, sensing, and signature management necessary to rapidly respond to emerging and unknown threats in a battlefield environment. This work is done in coordination with Program Element (PE) 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology), 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology) and 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL)
Mission — Explosives Forensics Technology
This Project investigates and develops sensor technology for the trace detection of military explosives, homemade explosives (HME), and solid chemical hazards found on contaminated surfaces. This project pursues research in signatures and algorithms required to provide improved trace analysis of chemical hazards to enable integration and augmentation into chemical and explosive detection equipment for the warfighter. Work in this Project compliments Program Element (PE) 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project BL3 (Explosives Forensics Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Chemical Biological Center (CBC).
Mission — Expedient Passive Protection Technology
This Project designs and develops rapidly deployable passive protective solutions; methodologies for intuitive decision support; and tactics, techniques, and procedures to increase the survivability of personnel, critical assets, and facilities from a range of threats. Through experimental and computational investigation and design, this project develops force protection technologies for complex and contested environments. This Project also develops expedient solutions and methodologies for decision support for protection against a range of threats, to include improvised, conventional, and emerging weapons such as ballistic missiles. Work in this Project complements Program Element (PE) 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project BL6 (Expedient Passive Protection Advanced Technology). The work cited is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army Modernization Strategy. Work in this Project supports the Army Science and Technology Ground Portfolio. Work in this Project is performed by the United States (US) Army Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
Mission — Power Projection in A2AD Environments Technology
This Project designs and develops remote assessment technologies to determine entry and maneuver corridors, develops site selection tools and decision support technologies for climatic regions in all season conditions including aviation site selection tools, enhanced automated route reconnaissance technologies, mobility models for extreme temperatures, and road capacity assessment technologies. These technologies reduce reliance on manned on-site reconnaissance for projection platform assessments and provide all season capacity predictions to ensure air and ground battlespace entry and maneuver. This Project also designs and develops material solutions to repair, rebuild and construct infrastructure required for movement and maneuver in highly contested, complex operational environments such as Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD). Work in this PE complements PE 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project BL8 (Power Projection in A2AD Environments Adv Tech). The work cited is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
Mission — Protection from Advanced Weapon Effects Technology
This Project designs and develops structural hardening, high-performance computing capabilities, and force protection technologies to enhance survivability of personnel and critical assets. This project investigates and develops advanced materials for protection against blast, fragmentation, and penetration through physical experiments and modeling and simulation. Additionally, this project investigates, designs, and develops passive protection technologies and protective design criteria to mitigate attack from emerging advanced threats. Work in this Program Element (PE) complements PE 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project BM1 (Protection from Advanced Weapon Effects Adv Tech). The work cited is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory.
Mission — Ground Technology Materials(CA)
Congressional Interest Item funding provided for Ground Technology Materials. The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army Modernization Strategy.
Mission — Ground Vehicle Power and Energy Concepts and Tech
This Project investigates and develops advanced power and energy technologies for combat ground vehicles that are necessary for parallel hybrid, series hybrid, and all- electric vehicle systems. This Project investigates, designs, and develops electric conversion technologies to reduce size and weight of military vehicles while increasing performance and capabilities to support current and future mission loads and provide improved military vehicle mobility. Work in this Project is coordinated with PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology) / PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Data and Analysis Center (DAC).
Mission — Ground Protection Concepts and Technologies
This Project investigates advanced materials and mechanisms to defeat the most common and most dangerous threats that are expected to be encountered by our ground forces in near-, mid-, and far-term. This Project also designs and develops experimental and computational tools and techniques (high resolution instrumentation to observe impact events, theories, and algorithms to explain these phenomena and numerical implementation of these algorithms) for the development of mass-efficient armor mechanisms. This project designs and develops armor mechanisms that will be integrated to create multi-threat armor technologies and form the building blocks for Adaptive and Cooperative Protection Technologies in the Advanced Concepts for Active Defense Project (Program Element (PE) 0602145A Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology). Additionally, research will focus on subcomponent/component models to predict performance of early concepts and the means to assess effectiveness on ground platforms. The Project will balance designs and developments of active threat defeat measures with the necessary advanced passive and reactive components that will ultimately provide for full system solutions which meet the requirements of current and next generation ground tactical and combat vehicles. This Project is coordinated with and transitions to Projects in PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology), PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology), and builds upon weapon target interaction research in PE 0601102A (Defense Research Sciences) / Project AA7 (Mechanics and Ballistics). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Human Autonomy Teaming
This Project performs applied research for capabilities that support teams of Soldier and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled systems to execute missions in complex, dynamic, multi-domain operations environments. Centered on ground vehicle mission planning and operations, this Project is focused on core technologies to enable Soldiers and AI-enabled systems to function as a team, to perform at high levels, and to adapt to adversarial actions and new mission requirements. This Project will enable future Soldiers with AI-enabled systems to perform complex missions with increasingly sophisticated technologies, and in increasingly complex, dynamic, sociotechnical environments. The applied research will provide the fundamental technologies to enable scalable Soldier-AI teams and team-centered dynamic tasking to effectively utilize the full capabilities of team and technologies. The research will include considerations to reduce data requirements for AI adaptation, increasing appropriate Soldier trust and use of technology, and ensuring ethical behavior by teams of Soldier and AI-enabled systems. The capabilities created by this research will lead to increased overall Soldier-AI team mission performance, improved Soldier-centric situation awareness technologies, and units that can effectively integrate within a multi-domain battlefield. Work in this Project is coordinated with PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology), PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology) and PE 0602143A (Soldier Lethality Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project supports the Army Science and Technology Ground and Next Generation Combat Vehicle portfolios. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Ground Enabling University Applied Research
The Project leverages applied research from academia, in the focus areas of ground autonomy, Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) and robotics, occupant/vehicle survivability and other ground platform technologies of importance to the Army. This Project performs discovery research efforts to focus more on mid to far-term Army modernization priorities while also maintaining delivery of near-term technologies critical to the next generation combat vehicles. This Project focuses on employment of research technologies originating from extramural applied research in academia pertaining to navigation/routing, autonomous robotic vehicles with the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning as applied to ground mobility and maneuver, and other innovative ground enabling applied research technologies. This effort conducts applied research and development leading to potential emerging technologies in areas of strategic importance to the Army in autonomy, robotics and AI/ML, protection of both platform and occupant, and other ground platform technologies in propulsion, survivability, powertrain, etc., by bringing competitively selected Universities with research and development teams into Technical Alliances. Work in this Project complements Program Element (PE) 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology), PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology) and PE 0603462A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Advanced Technology). The work cited is consistent with Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).
Mission — Engineer Enablers Maneuver, LOG, & Sustainment Apl
This effort designs and develops decision support capabilities to modernize the Army's logistics planning. The project will research planning of logistics resupply via distributed supply routes through complex terrain and environmental conditions within a contested environment, while also improving the efficiency of logistics planning, enabling planners to develop and compare courses of action, and simulate logistics activities using complex algorithms. This effort links the engineer applications into a geospatial framework and enables planners to better understand the dynamic scenario development providing a simple and clear critical vulnerabilities assessment, easy visual comparison of inventories available, supply needs within the battlespace, and the logistics options to mitigate potential issues. Work in this Project complements Program Element (PE) 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project CV5 (Engineer Enablers Maneuver, LOG, & Sustainment Adv). The work cited is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas. Work is performed at the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, Environmental Laboratory, Geotechnical Research Laboratory, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, and Information Technology Laboratory.
Mission — SAFR Alternatives for Readiness Applied Research
This Project will develop safer alternative technologies that enable Army readiness, support supply chain resilience, improve Soldier and worker safety and reduce environmental impacts, including reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The Project investigates alternatives for cross-cutting materials, undergoing or threatened by regulatory scrutiny, found in ground vehicles and all other types of Army weapon systems. Research areas of focus include alloys, ceramics, composites, textiles, maintenance fluids, propellants, explosives, and pyrotechnics. This work addresses increasing threats to readiness associated with carcinogenic, toxic, and restricted materials such as lead, beryllium, perchlorates, volatile organic compounds and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (forever chemicals), which can diminish Soldier and community health, restrict training and interrupt critical maintenance activities. Future liabilities and risks are characterized early in the life cycle of material development to ensure truly sustainable alternatives. This Project also investigates, develops and designs technologies to allow Soldiers to rapidly prioritize risk for PFAS to enable informed, timely and cost-effective solutions. This Project complements and transitions technologies to Program Element (PE) 0603119A (Ground Advanced Technology) / Project DA2 (SAFR Alternatives for Readiness Advanced Tech). Work in this Project is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL); the Armaments Center (AC); the Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC); the Soldier Center (SC); the Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC); and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).
Mission — Development of Obscurants
This project will investigate and evaluate obscurants (i.e., materials) and obscurant technologies that are designed to degrade threat force surveillance sensors and defeat the enemy's target acquisition devices, missile guidance, and directed energy weapons. This project investigates advanced, infra-red, and multi-spectral obscurant materials that will provide effective, safe, and efficient screening of deployed units and platforms. Work in this project compliments Program Element (PE) 0602144A (Ground Technology) / Project DG2 (Advanced Development of Obscurants). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army Modernization Strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Chemical Biological Center (CBC).
Mission — Environmental Security Resilience Tech
This Project matures and demonstrates capabilities to support Army Environmental Security, providing decisions and support tools for critical mission environments to address natural resource impediments, man-made stressors, extreme weather, and environmental engineering challenges that impact mission, infrastructure, training activities, deployment staging or present security concerns to operations. Project capabilities span the functional domains of strategic support area management, emergency preparedness, surge capacity, environmental impact on operations, and analysis of future operational environment and environmental threats. This effort will provide new material solutions, models and decision support tools for operational planning and infrastructure management. Work in this Project complements Program Element (PE) 0602144A (DI7) / Project (Environmental Security Resilience Tech). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army Modernization Strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the United States Army Engineer Research and Development Center Environmental Laboratory, Construction Research Engineering Laboratory, and the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory.
Justification
Accomplishments & Planned Programs (78)
Semi-Autonomous Engineer Operations
This effort investigates and develops robotic machine tools and behaviors to perform semi-autonomous shaping of the terrain through physical interaction with the environment (push, pull, lift, and dig). The effort develops the necessary decision-making, data fusion, localization, and inter-platform communication to allow semi-autonomy on commercial off the shelf (COTS) equipment.
Additive Manufacturing Research
This effort Investigates new additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities that enable production of lightweight materials for protection, survivability, and maneuverability that cannot be produced through traditional manufacturing methods. Efforts include the design and development of new feedstock materials engineered specifically for low-volume additive processes to produce net-shape materials with desired properties and functionalities; integrated process models and real-time monitoring for closed-loop control and production of lightweight materials with optimal architectures, property gradients, and interfaces; and design optimization capabilities that connect materials and manufacturing to access the full design space enabled by additive manufacturing.
Energy Sources and Storage
This effort focuses on the design and characterization of chemistries, materials, and components for advanced batteries, fuel reformers, and fuel cells. Potential Army applications include hybrid power sources, smart munitions, hybrid power vehicles, and soldier power applications. This effort also investigates the applicability of photosynthesis to provide fuel and electricity for Soldier power applications and investigates silicon carbide power module components that could enable compact, high-efficiency, high-temperature, and high-power density converters for motor drive and pulse power applications.
Novel Armor Materials and Processes for Vehicle Protection
This effort designs, develops, fabricates, and assesses a variety of materials (e.g. metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites) to enable more survivable, lighter weight armor, protection, and electronics for vehicle structures. Research focuses on novel material properties, developing physics-based models, materials characterization techniques, non-destructive testing methods, and traditional and advanced fabrication/processing methods to transition candidate solutions for maturation, scale-up, and integration into Army systems.
Forensic Analysis of Explosives Signatures Applied Research
This effort investigates forensics analytical methods for military explosives, homemade explosives (HME), HME precursors, and residue analysis for attribution.
Assessments of Solutions for Survivability from Emerging Threats (ASSET)
This effort investigates emerging threat weapon effects on critical assets, theater of operation facilities, and existing protection technologies; designs and develops rapidly deployable passive protective solutions; algorithms for decision support applications and software; and tactics, techniques, and procedures to increase the survivability of personnel, critical assets, and facilities against emerging threats, such as high trajectory large caliber rockets and missiles as well as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) threats. This effort integrates experimental and computational analysis.
Deliberate Expedient Protection for Large-scale Operations Yielding Survivability (DEPLOYS)
This effort investigates expedient survivability solutions for large-scale combat operations. This effort will develop logistically feasible passive protection solutions tailored for protection of key assets, logistical nodes, sustainment functions, and tactical operation centers to complement active protection and unconventional countermeasures, strengthening Guam's defense and enhancing overall mission assurance. This effort will also develop holistic survivability assessments and guidance for critical sites, functions, and personnel, accounting for various attack scenarios and the interdependencies of components, assets, systems, and systems of systems.
Engineering for Battlespace Maneuver
This effort develops the capability to rapidly repair and upgrade damaged infrastructure along mobility corridors and restaging areas to maintain and enhance freedom of maneuver achieving tactical advantage in contested complex environments.
Force Projection in Multi-Domain Operations
This effort develops capabilities for maneuver across air/land/sea domains using Combat Engineer assets to assess, modify, and upgrade transitional regions (such as beaches and coastal swamps) critical to force projection. Develops new methodologies for reconnaissance and analysis methods to provide predictive capabilities for selecting and prioritizing maneuver corridors for ground forces. Develops technologies that enable movement and maneuver through expanded terrain environments (i.e., soil stabilization) for distributed operations.
Maritime Contested Logistics
This effort investigates and develops algorithms and techniques for understanding maritime littoral regions using sensing technologies available for tactical platforms and standoff assessment. New techniques are investigated to enable characterization of contested littoral environments from safe distances for automating environment characterization from multi-modal satellite data, rapid littoral modeling, and vessel-based hazard detection systems.
Advanced Materials and Modeling for Force Protection
This effort designs and develops capabilities in the use of poorly-understood and indigenous materials. This effort develops multi-scale material modeling frameworks incorporating physics of deformation and damage mechanisms; a 3D multi-physics material modeling capability to allow for weapons effects models to be informed by remote sensing; and advanced material technologies for force protection.
Protection from Advanced Penetrators
This effort designs and develops protective material solutions and enhances modeling and simulation (M&S) tools for designing, analyzing and improving these advanced protective materials to be used in large hardened protective structures; investigates and validates computational models and passive protective solutions for large hardened structures from advanced precision penetrating threat weapons.
Advanced Distributed Power for Autonomous Systems
This effort designs and develops technologies for electrification of both manned and unmanned Next Generation Combat Vehicle platforms. Electrification of these platforms will enable advanced lethality and protection systems, reduced battlefield fuel consumption, and provide new capabilities such as burst acceleration, extended silent mobility, and silent watch. The effort investigates, designs, and develops electric conversion technologies to reduce size and weight while increasing performance and capabilities to support current and future mission loads and provide improved military vehicle mobility. Research focuses on high power/ temperature power electronics, magnetic gears, electric drive motors, and adaptive device and component level control that optimized operation in real time. Investigation of advanced control methods at the module and conversion component levels provides an understanding of the impact real time optimization and energy tracking can have on power conversion optimization and mission effectiveness. The research enables the integration of component state and behavior into system level management algorithms that support non-autonomous and autonomous operations while providing modular and scalable electrification architectures. Efforts will also investigate non-contact magnetic gear technologies coupled with electrical motors and generators to reduce size and weight with an increase in reliability and performance through increased torque and speed operational range. Results of the research inform PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology) / BH5 (Platform Electrification and Mobility Tech).
Power Conversion for Platforms
This effort investigates, designs, and assesses technologies for platform electrification that will reduce Army impact to the environment through electrified systems that more effectively utilize energy and improve resiliency. Transitioning to hybrid electric and all electric platforms provides improved energy utilization while reducing emissions providing the Warfighter increased capabilities. Reduction in impact to the environment also improves Warfighter survivability by reducing emissions that can be used for tracking and locating. Research focuses on material and design concepts for compact high-power transformers required by power conversion components, fabrication of new power semiconductor packaging, and advances in control and component power management methods.
Advanced Armor and Protection Technologies
This effort designs and develops the next generation of lightweight protective concepts and technologies for defeat of current and future threats by combining real-time information and threat knowledge to provide increased protection. This effort investigates the fundamental physics of new terminal effects concepts and provides an understanding of interaction between the platform's defeat mechanism and the threat. The effort also investigates the ability to analytically simulate complex threat interactions. Experiments will be conducted to validate the efficacy of the designs.
Computational and Experimental Capability
This effort will design and develop computational design tools along with diagnostic and experimental capabilities that support the development of advanced protection systems. Such systems include passive, active, and hybrid solutions for defeating (multiple) anti-armor threats and exploit solid-dynamic, explosive-driven, and magneto-hydrodynamic target interactions. This work allows for predicting armor performance and understanding mechanisms regardless of vehicle platform, with improved and quantified confidence. This effort leverages the Department of Defense and Department of Energy (DOE) Technical Coordination Group Memorandum of Agreement and directly leverages DOE investments in computational platforms for problems in solid dynamics and impact mechanics.
Soldier-AI Team Mission Planning for Dynamic Complex Environments
Planning in multi-domain operations environments is complex and has increased temporal and spatial sensitivities for Soldiers to integrate with AI-enabled systems to plan and execute missions. This effort investigates the fundamental concepts and technologies to enable Soldier and AI to team together to plan for multidomain operations from a ground vehicle perspective. This effort determines planning enablers to maximize manned-unmanned team performance across squads and platoons and includes mid- to far-term crew station-based emerging technologies in the areas of human interaction with AI technologies and human-guided machine intelligence. Designs and develops models of both Soldier and AI capabilities and their limitations as a function of the mission environment and mission requirements and apply those models to form mission plans.
Dynamic Soldier-AI Team Resource Allocation
This effort designs and develops the concepts and technologies necessary to dynamically allocate Soldiers and unmanned systems during missions to adapt mission plans to adversarial actions and other events at a squad and platoon level, including responding to degradation or loss of team capabilities, changes in mission goals or priorities, and responding to adversarial actions. The effort investigates the allocation of Soldiers, platforms, and platform sub-system capabilities with the focus to ensure that future AI and automation capabilities are focused on the circumstances and conditions where they are most likely to be successful, and to ensure that the Soldier's cognition is focused appropriately to ensure mission success.
Soldier Cognition-Centric Interface Technologies
This effort designs and develops cognitive-centric displays that ensure Soldiers are focused on aspects of situational awareness, mobility, target engagements, and communications that are critical to mission performance as future crew stations and displays provide vast amounts of multi-domain information that has the potential to distract, overwhelm, and mislead Soldiers. This effort ensures that our systems do not capture and misdirect Soldier attention and/or cognition, maximizing the utility of AI enabled systems to the Soldier. This effort also enables Soldiers to better understand the actions, goals, intents, and general reasoning of the AI systems to ensure they are effectively used, but not inappropriately relied upon.
Enabling Soldier-AI Technology Adaptation
This effort designs and develops technologies to rapidly adapt and upgrade AI-enabled system capabilities in response to advancements in AI in the commercial and adversary environments. Focus areas include enabling rapid technology adaption during Soldier experimentation and enabling data to be collected during these events for rapid development of technology updates and modifications. This effort has four goals: 1) increasing the ability of Soldier-AI teams to rapidly adapt to adversarial actions, new technologies, environmental changes, and mission requirements; 2) decreasing the data requirements to train and adapt AI-enabled systems; 3) increasing appropriate Soldier trust and use of technology; and 4) ensuring ethical decisions by using Soldiers to guide the actions and in-field adaptations of Soldier-AI team behaviors.
Soldier-AI-Enabled System Team Operational Planning
This effort focuses on complementary Soldier and machine capabilities that support the rapid planning and replanning of higher-echelon distributed operations. This effort will provide capabilities for distributed Soldier-AI-enabled system teams to rapidly adapt within complex, dynamic, multi-domain environments and identify fleeting windows of opportunity. This effort has four goals: (1) enable Soldier-AI-enabled system teams to rapidly generate mission plans, (2) enable Soldier-AI-enabled system teams to assess mission plans, (3) enable Soldier-AI-enabled system teams to continuously analyze mission progress and predict outcomes and the potential need to re-plan, and (4) identify necessary changes to operational structure and skills caused by the introduction of AI-based systems and tools.
Soldier-AI-Enabled System Team Tactical Planning
This effort focuses on complementary Soldier and machine capabilities that support rapid adaptive command and control (C2) of lower-echelon distributed operations. This effort designs and develops capabilities that support teams of Soldiers and AI-enabled systems to conduct tactical C2 in complex, dynamic, multi-domain environments. Focused on ground vehicle centric missions, this effort will research core technologies to enable Soldiers and AI-enabled systems to lead isolated units capable of exploiting narrow windows of opportunity by creating and adapting coordinated team behaviors across mission phases. This effort will focus on four goals: (1) enabling coordinated Soldier-AI-enabled system pre-mission planning within constraints of higher echelon plans, (2) enabling within-mission adaptation of mission plans, (3) developing tools and techniques for after-action review-based adaptation of coordinated Soldier-AI-enabled system team behaviors, and (4) identifying necessary changes to team structure and skills caused by the introduction of AI-based systems and tools.
Robust autonomous capabilities for ground vehicles
This effort investigates AI/ML and autonomous mobility-enabled ground vehicles to conduct off-road maneuvers to transition from tele-operated to either autonomous, or semi-autonomous scenarios. This effort improves autonomous behaviors and reduces the need for human interaction during operation. Research is conducted in collaboration with university partners to advance autonomous mobility and protection of both occupant and platform in optionally manned and autonomous ground vehicles.
Human-robot/AI interactions
This effort designs and develops systems involving physical and cognitive levels of interactions between humans and robots, with the use of reinforcement learning (an area of ML research) from human feedback, learning from demonstration, and safe human-aware controllers. Work is conducted in collaboration with university partners to advance autonomous mobility as well as other areas of ground platform technologies in propulsion, survivability, powertrain, etc. The benefit of this effort is improvements to machine learning and artificial intelligence with human-robot interactions.
Planning Logistics Analysis Network System Applied Research
This effort will design and develop new engineering applications and methodologies that support improved logistics planning via distributed networks, investigate methods to link existing data describing complex environmental features that impact planning into engineer applications, and design new automated algorithm technologies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the planning decision making.
Worldwide Gap Analysis Program Tech
This effort will design and develop new engineering applications and methodologies that support distributed operations through investigation of methods to quickly identify feasible locations and times for dispersed gap crossing using existing infrastructure, standard bridging, ground vehicle fording, rafting, and/or swimming operations. This includes incorporation of complex environmental factors and Subject Matter Expert solutions for use by non-expert users in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the planning and decision-making processes.
PFAS Risk Reduction Applied Research
This effort will design and develop a novel rapid risk characterization framework that will be validated with a rapid fate and transport screen, a breakthrough toxicity screening, and treatment approaches.
Safer Alternatives for Readiness (SAFR) Applied Research
Design and develop novel cross-cutting solutions to eliminate Soldier and worker exposure to airborne lead from energetic materials; efficiently and safely demilitarize materiel; support the next generation of enhanced and sustainable munitions; reduce the use of toxic and hazardous chemicals in cleaners, degreasers, lubricants and fluids to ensure Soldier and ground vehicle readiness; and minimize the life cycle health and safety risks associated with emerging high-performance materials.
Corrosion Control App Research
Design and develop cross-cutting methods and materials for improved corrosion prevention for future weapon systems and product improvements to fielded systems. Investigate improved techniques, processes, and technologies for corrosion assessment and correction through depot- and field-level maintenance.
Obscuration Enabling Technologies
This effort investigates new materials and compounds to enable safe and effective screening of personnel and equipment across the electromagnetic spectrum. This effort also provides vulnerability assessments against enemy threat targeting systems.
Atmospheric Impacts for Lethality Overmatch
This effort conducts Army-centric applied research in atmospheric impacts and effects on DoD systems and operations. Technology development includes decision support systems for mission commanders, ensuring interoperability, and enhancing the ability to conduct air-ground reconnaissance and combined arms maneuver.
Environmental Security Applied Research - Assessing and Mitigating Climate Risk
This effort conducts Army-focused environmental security applied research to include dynamics and changes in the atmospheric boundary layer in complex Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) environments (complex terrain and dense urban) with particular emphasis on the atmospheric surface layer and the land surface processes that effect the environmental state. Technology development includes decision support systems for mission commanders, ensuring interoperability, and enhancing the ability to plan air-ground reconnaissance and combined arms maneuver.
Interagency Council for the Advancement of Meteorological Services Program
This effort supports the Army's collaboration in the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services (ICAMS), which was chartered in 2020 per the "Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017" (Public Law 115-25, April 18, 2017).
Building Installation Resilience Carbon Sequestration and Reduction
This effort will develop and provide validated models for carbon accounting across Army natural lands to include the use of those lands. These models will provide a baseline of current carbon sequestration and quantify changes in sequestration capacity.
PFAS Risk Reduction Applied Research
This effort will develop a per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) risk-based decision framework to enable rapid PFAS communication and risk decisions on Army installations. This effort will also establish a communications hub to provide distribution of PFAS decisions to Army installation managers.
Securing Water Resources
This effort will develop tools for installation managers to assess and secure water resources. The tools will recommend decisions based on dynamic environmental considerations for water use and reuse.
Biotech Threat In the Environment
This effort characterizes bio-engineered threats using bio-informatic screening for genetic sequences to determine if gene editing is potentially unsafe to the intended targets.
Ruggedized Unexploded Ordnance Ultra Light Electro-magnetic Array for Extreme Environments Tech
This effort will develop a multi-platform compatible ultra-light electromagnetic array to identify and classify metallic/ conventional unexploded ordnance in all operational environments, all terrains, and in all seasons. Updated systems will enable operations in ice- or snow-covered environments.
Environmental Security Applied Research
This effort conducts Army-focused environmental security applied research to include dynamics and changes in the atmospheric boundary layer in complex Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) environments (complex terrain and dense urban) with particular emphasis on the atmospheric surface layer and the land surface processes that effect the environmental state. Technology development includes decision support systems for mission commanders, ensuring interoperability, and enhancing the ability to plan air-ground reconnaissance and combined arms maneuver.
Semi-Autonomous Engineer Operations
This effort investigates and develops robotic machine tools and behaviors to perform semi-autonomous shaping of the terrain through physical interaction with the environment (push, pull, lift, and dig). The effort develops the necessary decision-making, data fusion, localization, and inter-platform communication to allow semi-autonomy on commercial off the shelf (COTS) equipment.
Additive Manufacturing Research
This effort Investigates new additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities that enable production of lightweight materials for protection, survivability, and maneuverability that cannot be produced through traditional manufacturing methods. Efforts include the design and development of new feedstock materials engineered specifically for low-volume additive processes to produce net-shape materials with desired properties and functionalities; integrated process models and real-time monitoring for closed-loop control and production of lightweight materials with optimal architectures, property gradients, and interfaces; and design optimization capabilities that connect materials and manufacturing to access the full design space enabled by additive manufacturing.
Energy Sources and Storage
This effort focuses on the design and characterization of chemistries, materials, and components for advanced batteries, fuel reformers, and fuel cells. Potential Army applications include hybrid power sources, smart munitions, hybrid power vehicles, and soldier power applications. This effort also investigates the applicability of photosynthesis to provide fuel and electricity for Soldier power applications and investigates silicon carbide power module components that could enable compact, high-efficiency, high-temperature, and high-power density converters for motor drive and pulse power applications.
Novel Armor Materials and Processes for Vehicle Protection
This effort designs, develops, fabricates, and assesses a variety of materials (e.g. metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites) to enable more survivable, lighter weight armor, protection, and electronics for vehicle structures. Research focuses on novel material properties, developing physics-based models, materials characterization techniques, non-destructive testing methods, and traditional and advanced fabrication/processing methods to transition candidate solutions for maturation, scale-up, and integration into Army systems.
Forensic Analysis of Explosives Signatures Applied Research
This effort investigates forensics analytical methods for military explosives, homemade explosives (HME), HME precursors, and residue analysis for attribution.
Assessments of Solutions for Survivability from Emerging Threats (ASSET)
This effort investigates emerging threat weapon effects on critical assets, theater of operation facilities, and existing protection technologies; designs and develops rapidly deployable passive protective solutions; algorithms for decision support applications and software; and tactics, techniques, and procedures to increase the survivability of personnel, critical assets, and facilities against emerging threats, such as high trajectory large caliber rockets and missiles as well as Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) threats. This effort integrates experimental and computational analysis.
Deliberate Expedient Protection for Large-scale Operations Yielding Survivability (DEPLOYS)
This effort investigates expedient survivability solutions for large-scale combat operations. This effort will develop logistically feasible passive protection solutions tailored for protection of key assets, logistical nodes, sustainment functions, and tactical operation centers to complement active protection and unconventional countermeasures, strengthening Guam's defense and enhancing overall mission assurance. This effort will also develop holistic survivability assessments and guidance for critical sites, functions, and personnel, accounting for various attack scenarios and the interdependencies of components, assets, systems, and systems of systems.
Engineering for Battlespace Maneuver
This effort develops the capability to rapidly repair and upgrade damaged infrastructure along mobility corridors and restaging areas to maintain and enhance freedom of maneuver achieving tactical advantage in contested complex environments.
Force Projection in Multi-Domain Operations
This effort develops capabilities for maneuver across air/land/sea domains using Combat Engineer assets to assess, modify, and upgrade transitional regions (such as beaches and coastal swamps) critical to force projection. Develops new methodologies for reconnaissance and analysis methods to provide predictive capabilities for selecting and prioritizing maneuver corridors for ground forces. Develops technologies that enable movement and maneuver through expanded terrain environments (i.e., soil stabilization) for distributed operations.
Maritime Contested Logistics
This effort investigates and develops algorithms and techniques for understanding maritime littoral regions using sensing technologies available for tactical platforms and standoff assessment. New techniques are investigated to enable characterization of contested littoral environments from safe distances for automating environment characterization from multi-modal satellite data, rapid littoral modeling, and vessel-based hazard detection systems.
Advanced Materials and Modeling for Force Protection
This effort designs and develops capabilities in the use of poorly-understood and indigenous materials. This effort develops multi-scale material modeling frameworks incorporating physics of deformation and damage mechanisms; a 3D multi-physics material modeling capability to allow for weapons effects models to be informed by remote sensing; and advanced material technologies for force protection.
Protection from Advanced Penetrators
This effort designs and develops protective material solutions and enhances modeling and simulation (M&S) tools for designing, analyzing and improving these advanced protective materials to be used in large hardened protective structures; investigates and validates computational models and passive protective solutions for large hardened structures from advanced precision penetrating threat weapons.
Advanced Distributed Power for Autonomous Systems
This effort designs and develops technologies for electrification of both manned and unmanned Next Generation Combat Vehicle platforms. Electrification of these platforms will enable advanced lethality and protection systems, reduced battlefield fuel consumption, and provide new capabilities such as burst acceleration, extended silent mobility, and silent watch. The effort investigates, designs, and develops electric conversion technologies to reduce size and weight while increasing performance and capabilities to support current and future mission loads and provide improved military vehicle mobility. Research focuses on high power/ temperature power electronics, magnetic gears, electric drive motors, and adaptive device and component level control that optimized operation in real time. Investigation of advanced control methods at the module and conversion component levels provides an understanding of the impact real time optimization and energy tracking can have on power conversion optimization and mission effectiveness. The research enables the integration of component state and behavior into system level management algorithms that support non-autonomous and autonomous operations while providing modular and scalable electrification architectures. Efforts will also investigate non-contact magnetic gear technologies coupled with electrical motors and generators to reduce size and weight with an increase in reliability and performance through increased torque and speed operational range. Results of the research inform PE 0602145A (Next Generation Combat Vehicle Technology) / BH5 (Platform Electrification and Mobility Tech).
Power Conversion for Platforms
This effort investigates, designs, and assesses technologies for platform electrification that will reduce Army impact to the environment through electrified systems that more effectively utilize energy and improve resiliency. Transitioning to hybrid electric and all electric platforms provides improved energy utilization while reducing emissions providing the Warfighter increased capabilities. Reduction in impact to the environment also improves Warfighter survivability by reducing emissions that can be used for tracking and locating. Research focuses on material and design concepts for compact high-power transformers required by power conversion components, fabrication of new power semiconductor packaging, and advances in control and component power management methods.
Advanced Armor and Protection Technologies
This effort designs and develops the next generation of lightweight protective concepts and technologies for defeat of current and future threats by combining real-time information and threat knowledge to provide increased protection. This effort investigates the fundamental physics of new terminal effects concepts and provides an understanding of interaction between the platform's defeat mechanism and the threat. The effort also investigates the ability to analytically simulate complex threat interactions. Experiments will be conducted to validate the efficacy of the designs.
Computational and Experimental Capability
This effort will design and develop computational design tools along with diagnostic and experimental capabilities that support the development of advanced protection systems. Such systems include passive, active, and hybrid solutions for defeating (multiple) anti-armor threats and exploit solid-dynamic, explosive-driven, and magneto-hydrodynamic target interactions. This work allows for predicting armor performance and understanding mechanisms regardless of vehicle platform, with improved and quantified confidence. This effort leverages the Department of Defense and Department of Energy (DOE) Technical Coordination Group Memorandum of Agreement and directly leverages DOE investments in computational platforms for problems in solid dynamics and impact mechanics.
Soldier-AI Team Mission Planning for Dynamic Complex Environments
Planning in multi-domain operations environments is complex and has increased temporal and spatial sensitivities for Soldiers to integrate with AI-enabled systems to plan and execute missions. This effort investigates the fundamental concepts and technologies to enable Soldier and AI to team together to plan for multidomain operations from a ground vehicle perspective. This effort determines planning enablers to maximize manned-unmanned team performance across squads and platoons and includes mid- to far-term crew station-based emerging technologies in the areas of human interaction with AI technologies and human-guided machine intelligence. Designs and develops models of both Soldier and AI capabilities and their limitations as a function of the mission environment and mission requirements and apply those models to form mission plans.
Dynamic Soldier-AI Team Resource Allocation
This effort designs and develops the concepts and technologies necessary to dynamically allocate Soldiers and unmanned systems during missions to adapt mission plans to adversarial actions and other events at a squad and platoon level, including responding to degradation or loss of team capabilities, changes in mission goals or priorities, and responding to adversarial actions. The effort investigates the allocation of Soldiers, platforms, and platform sub-system capabilities with the focus to ensure that future AI and automation capabilities are focused on the circumstances and conditions where they are most likely to be successful, and to ensure that the Soldier's cognition is focused appropriately to ensure mission success.
Soldier Cognition-Centric Interface Technologies
This effort designs and develops cognitive-centric displays that ensure Soldiers are focused on aspects of situational awareness, mobility, target engagements, and communications that are critical to mission performance as future crew stations and displays provide vast amounts of multi-domain information that has the potential to distract, overwhelm, and mislead Soldiers. This effort ensures that our systems do not capture and misdirect Soldier attention and/or cognition, maximizing the utility of AI enabled systems to the Soldier. This effort also enables Soldiers to better understand the actions, goals, intents, and general reasoning of the AI systems to ensure they are effectively used, but not inappropriately relied upon.
Enabling Soldier-AI Technology Adaptation
This effort designs and develops technologies to rapidly adapt and upgrade AI-enabled system capabilities in response to advancements in AI in the commercial and adversary environments. Focus areas include enabling rapid technology adaption during Soldier experimentation and enabling data to be collected during these events for rapid development of technology updates and modifications. This effort has four goals: 1) increasing the ability of Soldier-AI teams to rapidly adapt to adversarial actions, new technologies, environmental changes, and mission requirements; 2) decreasing the data requirements to train and adapt AI-enabled systems; 3) increasing appropriate Soldier trust and use of technology; and 4) ensuring ethical decisions by using Soldiers to guide the actions and in-field adaptations of Soldier-AI team behaviors.
Soldier-AI-Enabled System Team Operational Planning
This effort focuses on complementary Soldier and machine capabilities that support the rapid planning and replanning of higher-echelon distributed operations. This effort will provide capabilities for distributed Soldier-AI-enabled system teams to rapidly adapt within complex, dynamic, multi-domain environments and identify fleeting windows of opportunity. This effort has four goals: (1) enable Soldier-AI-enabled system teams to rapidly generate mission plans, (2) enable Soldier-AI-enabled system teams to assess mission plans, (3) enable Soldier-AI-enabled system teams to continuously analyze mission progress and predict outcomes and the potential need to re-plan, and (4) identify necessary changes to operational structure and skills caused by the introduction of AI-based systems and tools.
Soldier-AI-Enabled System Team Tactical Planning
This effort focuses on complementary Soldier and machine capabilities that support rapid adaptive command and control (C2) of lower-echelon distributed operations. This effort designs and develops capabilities that support teams of Soldiers and AI-enabled systems to conduct tactical C2 in complex, dynamic, multi-domain environments. Focused on ground vehicle centric missions, this effort will research core technologies to enable Soldiers and AI-enabled systems to lead isolated units capable of exploiting narrow windows of opportunity by creating and adapting coordinated team behaviors across mission phases. This effort will focus on four goals: (1) enabling coordinated Soldier-AI-enabled system pre-mission planning within constraints of higher echelon plans, (2) enabling within-mission adaptation of mission plans, (3) developing tools and techniques for after-action review-based adaptation of coordinated Soldier-AI-enabled system team behaviors, and (4) identifying necessary changes to team structure and skills caused by the introduction of AI-based systems and tools.
Robust autonomous capabilities for ground vehicles
This effort investigates AI/ML and autonomous mobility-enabled ground vehicles to conduct off-road maneuvers to transition from tele-operated to either autonomous, or semi-autonomous scenarios. This effort improves autonomous behaviors and reduces the need for human interaction during operation. Research is conducted in collaboration with university partners to advance autonomous mobility and protection of both occupant and platform in optionally manned and autonomous ground vehicles.
Human-robot/AI interactions
This effort designs and develops systems involving physical and cognitive levels of interactions between humans and robots, with the use of reinforcement learning (an area of ML research) from human feedback, learning from demonstration, and safe human-aware controllers. Work is conducted in collaboration with university partners to advance autonomous mobility as well as other areas of ground platform technologies in propulsion, survivability, powertrain, etc. The benefit of this effort is improvements to machine learning and artificial intelligence with human-robot interactions.
Planning Logistics Analysis Network System Applied Research
This effort will design and develop new engineering applications and methodologies that support improved logistics planning via distributed networks, investigate methods to link existing data describing complex environmental features that impact planning into engineer applications, and design new automated algorithm technologies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the planning decision making.
Worldwide Gap Analysis Program Tech
This effort will design and develop new engineering applications and methodologies that support distributed operations through investigation of methods to quickly identify feasible locations and times for dispersed gap crossing using existing infrastructure, standard bridging, ground vehicle fording, rafting, and/or swimming operations. This includes incorporation of complex environmental factors and Subject Matter Expert solutions for use by non-expert users in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the planning and decision-making processes.
PFAS Risk Reduction Applied Research
This effort will design and develop a novel rapid risk characterization framework that will be validated with a rapid fate and transport screen, a breakthrough toxicity screening, and treatment approaches.
Safer Alternatives for Readiness (SAFR) Applied Research
Design and develop novel cross-cutting solutions to eliminate Soldier and worker exposure to airborne lead from energetic materials; efficiently and safely demilitarize materiel; support the next generation of enhanced and sustainable munitions; reduce the use of toxic and hazardous chemicals in cleaners, degreasers, lubricants and fluids to ensure Soldier and ground vehicle readiness; and minimize the life cycle health and safety risks associated with emerging high-performance materials.
Corrosion Control App Research
Design and develop cross-cutting methods and materials for improved corrosion prevention for future weapon systems and product improvements to fielded systems. Investigate improved techniques, processes, and technologies for corrosion assessment and correction through depot- and field-level maintenance.
Obscuration Enabling Technologies
This effort investigates new materials and compounds to enable safe and effective screening of personnel and equipment across the electromagnetic spectrum. This effort also provides vulnerability assessments against enemy threat targeting systems.
Atmospheric Impacts for Lethality Overmatch
This effort conducts Army-centric applied research in atmospheric impacts and effects on DoD systems and operations. Technology development includes decision support systems for mission commanders, ensuring interoperability, and enhancing the ability to conduct air-ground reconnaissance and combined arms maneuver.
Environmental Security Applied Research - Assessing and Mitigating Climate Risk
This effort conducts Army-focused environmental security applied research to include dynamics and changes in the atmospheric boundary layer in complex Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) environments (complex terrain and dense urban) with particular emphasis on the atmospheric surface layer and the land surface processes that effect the environmental state. Technology development includes decision support systems for mission commanders, ensuring interoperability, and enhancing the ability to plan air-ground reconnaissance and combined arms maneuver.
Interagency Council for the Advancement of Meteorological Services Program
This effort supports the Army's collaboration in the Interagency Council for Advancing Meteorological Services (ICAMS), which was chartered in 2020 per the "Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017" (Public Law 115-25, April 18, 2017).
Building Installation Resilience Carbon Sequestration and Reduction
This effort will develop and provide validated models for carbon accounting across Army natural lands to include the use of those lands. These models will provide a baseline of current carbon sequestration and quantify changes in sequestration capacity.
PFAS Risk Reduction Applied Research
This effort will develop a per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) risk-based decision framework to enable rapid PFAS communication and risk decisions on Army installations. This effort will also establish a communications hub to provide distribution of PFAS decisions to Army installation managers.
Securing Water Resources
This effort will develop tools for installation managers to assess and secure water resources. The tools will recommend decisions based on dynamic environmental considerations for water use and reuse.
Biotech Threat In the Environment
This effort characterizes bio-engineered threats using bio-informatic screening for genetic sequences to determine if gene editing is potentially unsafe to the intended targets.
Ruggedized Unexploded Ordnance Ultra Light Electro-magnetic Array for Extreme Environments Tech
This effort will develop a multi-platform compatible ultra-light electromagnetic array to identify and classify metallic/ conventional unexploded ordnance in all operational environments, all terrains, and in all seasons. Updated systems will enable operations in ice- or snow-covered environments.
Environmental Security Applied Research
This effort conducts Army-focused environmental security applied research to include dynamics and changes in the atmospheric boundary layer in complex Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) environments (complex terrain and dense urban) with particular emphasis on the atmospheric surface layer and the land surface processes that effect the environmental state. Technology development includes decision support systems for mission commanders, ensuring interoperability, and enhancing the ability to plan air-ground reconnaissance and combined arms maneuver.
Budget Line Items(workbook-cited)
P-1/R-1 workbook Total Obligation Authority basis (USD thousands) · PB2026.
Exhibit R-1
| Account | Org | Type | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY24 Actuals | $266.7M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY25 Enacted | $155.8M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY25 Total | $155.8M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY26 Disc. Request | $56.3M |
| Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Army | A | FY26 Total | $56.3M |
Budget Details(R-2/P-40 facts)
J-book detail basis (R-2/P-40, USD millions) · PB2026 — a different accounting basis from the P-1/R-1 workbook TOA above; where the two disagree, the reconciliation strip under Budget Figures shows both.
Wider than this screen — swipe the table sideways for the remaining fiscal-year columns.
| Project | FY24 Actuals | FY25 Total | FY26 Base | FY26 Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Element | $266.7M | $155.8M | $56.3M | $56.3M |
| BK7: Robotics for Engineer Operations Technology | $6.40M | $5.44M | $3.48M | $3.48M |
| BL1: Materials and Manufacturing Research Technology | $4.31M | $10.3M | $5.79M | $5.79M |
| BL2: Explosives Forensics Technology | $1.65M | $1.02M | $1.00M | $1.00M |
| BL5: Expedient Passive Protection Technology | $2.93M | $2.73M | $4.16M | $4.16M |
| BL7: Power Projection in A2AD Environments Technology | $2.91M | $2.16M | $4.10M | $4.10M |
| BL9: Protection from Advanced Weapon Effects Technology | $5.21M | $5.03M | $4.78M | $4.78M |
| CG7: Ground Protection Concepts and Technologies | $10.5M | $8.33M | $9.86M | $9.86M |
| CV3: Engineer Enablers Maneuver, LOG, & Sustainment Apl | $2.12M | $1.26M | $4.17M | $4.17M |
| DA1: SAFR Alternatives for Readiness Applied Research | $4.98M | $4.03M | $6.25M | $6.25M |
| DG1: Development of Obscurants | $2.67M | $2.81M | $2.66M | $2.66M |
| DI7: Environmental Security Resilience Tech | — | $6.63M | $10.1M | $10.1M |
| BN8: Ground Technology Materials(CA) | $207.5M | $91.3M | — | — |
| CG8: Human Autonomy Teaming | $9.17M | $9.28M | — | — |
| CI2: Ground Enabling University Applied Research | $3.76M | $5.53M | — | — |
| CG6: Ground Vehicle Power and Energy Concepts and Tech | $2.58M | — | — | — |
No follow-the-dollar view — this program's awards haven't been crosswalked at high confidence (flows cover 17 of 1,741 programs). why coverage is partial? →
Awards
No awards are linked to this program element at high confidence — the budget→award crosswalk only asserts links it can defend, and this line has none yet.
Lobbying Mentions
No Senate LDA lobbying filing in the tracked data mentions this program element by code or alias.
Oversight
Department-level designation (not specific to this program)
GAO lists 5 high-risk areas for DOD as a whole. That designation covers the department, not Ground Technology — no program-specific GAO finding for this line is in the ingested data. See the DOD oversight record.
No research dossier for this program — dossiers cover 50 of 1,741 programs, the largest fully J-book-detailed lines by FY2026 requested dollars. why no dossier here? →