Soldier Advanced Technology

Mission — Soldier Advanced Technology source

This Program Element (PE) matures, optimizes, and validates applied research technologies to demonstrate improved capabilities and systems that advance Soldier and Squad lethality-overmatch and Soldier performance beyond those technologies planned within the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team. Advanced technology research efforts focus on the maturation and integration of broad capabilities and systems that span a range of technical areas to address enduring Soldier needs. These efforts transition outputs to existing and emerging systems in support of continuing enhancement of Soldier capabilities. This PE will fund civilian salaries for in-house researchers/scientists and program managers collaborating with external subject matter experts in academia and industry who are leaders in these technology research areas. The cited research is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army Modernization Strategy.

Mission — Soldier Enabled University Advanced Development source

This Project leverages advanced technological innovations from academia to accelerate the optimization and demonstration of improved capabilities and systems that advance Soldier and Squad lethality-overmatch and Soldier performance and meet mission needs in the future operating environments. This Project funds collaborative, enduring advanced extramural university-based maturation and demonstration of technologies and brings together competitively selected universities with Army research teams into Technical Alliances. This Project will focus efforts on mid- to far-term Army modernization priorities while also maintaining delivery of near-term technologies critical to supporting the modernization priorities. The technical scope of this Project includes the optimization, maturation and demonstration of overarching Soldier-centric technologies including human systems integration, simplified synthetic training environments, advanced protective materials, power and energy, Warfighter endurance, robotics, as well as other innovative Soldier enabled advanced research technologies that will accelerate the Army modernization in Synthetic Training Environment, and Soldier Lethality. This Project conducts advanced research and development leading to potential emerging technologies in areas of strategic importance to the Army in Soldier capabilities related to increased protection, performance, agility, situational awareness, and lethality. This Project will also continuously strive to engage and collaborate with entities that might not otherwise collaborate with the Department of Defense (DoD) to demonstrate and provide novel Soldier-centric technologies for accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies for the Warfighter in the Army Soldier portfolio. 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 is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).

Mission — Technical-SAVVY Soldier Advanced Research source

This project conducts applied technology development to provide critical breakthroughs in developing a "technologically" fluent force. This research will refine, adapt, and validate methods and measures to assess and develop the technological fluency (TF) of Soldiers across a career (TF Personnel Assessments) and technologies to maximize technological fluency resilience and performance in Soldiers and units (Maximizing TF). TF is defined as the ability of Soldier and units to use and rapidly adapt new and intelligent technologies without formal training on these technologies, and it will be a decisive factor in a future operating environment in which Soldiers and squads are teamed with increasingly sophisticated and evolving technologies. Soldiers and leaders in specialty areas (e.g., Cyber, and Emerging Tech) and general purpose forces will require increased technological aptitudes and skills to adapt emerging technologies to evolving mission sets and avoid being overmatched by Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled "smart" technologies. This Project supports key Army needs and will coordinate and/or leverage findings of several PEs to include 0602184A (Soldier Applied Research), and 0603007A (Manpower, Personnel and Training Advanced Technology). This research will be performed by the U.S. Army Research Institute (ARI) for Behavioral and Social Sciences, and in coordination with collaborative research between ARI and the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) performed within 0602184A (Soldier Applied Research). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas, the Army modernization strategy, and the Army People Strategy.

Mission — Joint Service Small Arms Adv Tech source

This Project matures and demonstrates individual and crew-served armament systems; weapon, munitions, and fire control that enable increased capability, lethality, survivability and reduced negative health effects of the dismounted Warfighter across the Joint Services. This Project demonstrates blast overpressure characterization, monitoring and a wearable system that captures real-time physiological and blast exposure data to enable integrated Soldier monitoring in operational environments. Work in this Project complements Program Element (PE) 0602148A (Soldier Applied Research) / Project DN2 (Joint Service Small Arms Enabling 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 Armaments Center (AC).

Mission — Modernized Composites & Manufacturing Adv Dev source

This Project matures and demonstrates advanced composite materials and manufacturing processes to deliver materials with properties to support broad applications across the DoD. Focus will be on properties required for understanding operation in future contested environments. This Project integrates manufacturing processes and advanced automation through additive, subtractive, and digital manufacturing sciences of novel composite materials, for use in both existing and future DoD-wide systems. The Project will use unique contract and collaborative approaches to accelerate transitions into and from university programs.? Work in this Project complements Project Element (PE) 0602184A (Soldier Applied Research) / Project DO1 (Modernized Composites & Manufacturing). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Advanced Materials Critical Technology Area and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC).

Mission — Enhanced Indirect Fire Adv Tech source

This project matures and demonstrates enhancements to current mortar systems. This effort will provide solutions that increase the range and lethality of currently fielded systems and mitigate blast overpressure. Work in this Project complements work done in Program Element (PE) 0602141A (Lethality Technology) / Project AH9 (Advanced Warheads Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Armaments Center (AC).

Mission — Soldier Advanced Technology source

This Program Element (PE) matures, optimizes, and validates applied research technologies to demonstrate improved capabilities and systems that advance Soldier and Squad lethality-overmatch and Soldier performance beyond those technologies planned within the Soldier Lethality Cross-Functional Team. Advanced technology research efforts focus on the maturation and integration of broad capabilities and systems that span a range of technical areas to address enduring Soldier needs. These efforts transition outputs to existing and emerging systems in support of continuing enhancement of Soldier capabilities. This PE will fund civilian salaries for in-house researchers/scientists and program managers collaborating with external subject matter experts in academia and industry who are leaders in these technology research areas. The cited research is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army Modernization Strategy.

Mission — Soldier Enabled University Advanced Development source

This Project leverages advanced technological innovations from academia to accelerate the optimization and demonstration of improved capabilities and systems that advance Soldier and Squad lethality-overmatch and Soldier performance and meet mission needs in the future operating environments. This Project funds collaborative, enduring advanced extramural university-based maturation and demonstration of technologies and brings together competitively selected universities with Army research teams into Technical Alliances. This Project will focus efforts on mid- to far-term Army modernization priorities while also maintaining delivery of near-term technologies critical to supporting the modernization priorities. The technical scope of this Project includes the optimization, maturation and demonstration of overarching Soldier-centric technologies including human systems integration, simplified synthetic training environments, advanced protective materials, power and energy, Warfighter endurance, robotics, as well as other innovative Soldier enabled advanced research technologies that will accelerate the Army modernization in Synthetic Training Environment, and Soldier Lethality. This Project conducts advanced research and development leading to potential emerging technologies in areas of strategic importance to the Army in Soldier capabilities related to increased protection, performance, agility, situational awareness, and lethality. This Project will also continuously strive to engage and collaborate with entities that might not otherwise collaborate with the Department of Defense (DoD) to demonstrate and provide novel Soldier-centric technologies for accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies for the Warfighter in the Army Soldier portfolio. 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 is performed by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL).

Mission — Technical-SAVVY Soldier Advanced Research source

This project conducts applied technology development to provide critical breakthroughs in developing a "technologically" fluent force. This research will refine, adapt, and validate methods and measures to assess and develop the technological fluency (TF) of Soldiers across a career (TF Personnel Assessments) and technologies to maximize technological fluency resilience and performance in Soldiers and units (Maximizing TF). TF is defined as the ability of Soldier and units to use and rapidly adapt new and intelligent technologies without formal training on these technologies, and it will be a decisive factor in a future operating environment in which Soldiers and squads are teamed with increasingly sophisticated and evolving technologies. Soldiers and leaders in specialty areas (e.g., Cyber, and Emerging Tech) and general purpose forces will require increased technological aptitudes and skills to adapt emerging technologies to evolving mission sets and avoid being overmatched by Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled "smart" technologies. This Project supports key Army needs and will coordinate and/or leverage findings of several PEs to include 0602184A (Soldier Applied Research), and 0603007A (Manpower, Personnel and Training Advanced Technology). This research will be performed by the U.S. Army Research Institute (ARI) for Behavioral and Social Sciences, and in coordination with collaborative research between ARI and the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) performed within 0602184A (Soldier Applied Research). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas, the Army modernization strategy, and the Army People Strategy.

Mission — Joint Service Small Arms Adv Tech source

This Project matures and demonstrates individual and crew-served armament systems; weapon, munitions, and fire control that enable increased capability, lethality, survivability and reduced negative health effects of the dismounted Warfighter across the Joint Services. This Project demonstrates blast overpressure characterization, monitoring and a wearable system that captures real-time physiological and blast exposure data to enable integrated Soldier monitoring in operational environments. Work in this Project complements Program Element (PE) 0602148A (Soldier Applied Research) / Project DN2 (Joint Service Small Arms Enabling 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 Armaments Center (AC).

Mission — Modernized Composites & Manufacturing Adv Dev source

This Project matures and demonstrates advanced composite materials and manufacturing processes to deliver materials with properties to support broad applications across the DoD. Focus will be on properties required for understanding operation in future contested environments. This Project integrates manufacturing processes and advanced automation through additive, subtractive, and digital manufacturing sciences of novel composite materials, for use in both existing and future DoD-wide systems. The Project will use unique contract and collaborative approaches to accelerate transitions into and from university programs.? Work in this Project complements Project Element (PE) 0602184A (Soldier Applied Research) / Project DO1 (Modernized Composites & Manufacturing). The cited work is consistent with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Advanced Materials Critical Technology Area and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Soldier Center (SC).

Mission — Enhanced Indirect Fire Adv Tech source

This project matures and demonstrates enhancements to current mortar systems. This effort will provide solutions that increase the range and lethality of currently fielded systems and mitigate blast overpressure. Work in this Project complements work done in Program Element (PE) 0602141A (Lethality Technology) / Project AH9 (Advanced Warheads Technology). The cited work is consistent with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering priority focus areas and the Army modernization strategy. Work in this Project is performed by the Armaments Center (AC).

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (8)