USMC Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD)

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

This activity includes Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory / Futures Directorate (MCWL/FD) efforts in the development and assessment of joint and service warfighting concepts, joint and service missions, analysis of emerging threats and opportunities, and joint capability experimentation. It also includes MCWL/FD service experimentation (to include planning and analysis) in areas that impact multiple warfighting functions. Programs listed below are considered major (valued at $500K or more) or have near- real-time operational impact.

Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory / Futures Directorate (MCWL/FD) Technical, Engineering, and Management Support efforts include lab-wide, non-program specific experimentation doctrine, planning, management, and technical/engineering support, as well as technology transition tracking efforts. Tasks listed below are considered major (valued at $500K or more) or have near real-time operational impact.

This activity includes Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory / Futures Directorate (MCWL/FD) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) related experimentation efforts, to include overarching experimentation planning/execution, management, technical, and engineering support, assessment of equipment, new Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), training programs, and proposed organizational changes associated with enhanced ISR capabilities. Using a variety of fused sensors to mesh data, video, and images and incorporating a common tactical controller to operate multiple air and ground ISR platforms, this area enhances small unit situational awareness as well as exploitation and forward engagement ability via experimentation. Programs listed below are considered major (valued at $500K or more) or have near real-time operational impact. Investments in this activity are conducted under the Thrust Areas of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) and Autonomy and Robotics.

This activity encompasses all Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory/Futures Directorate (MCWL/FD) Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4) experimentation efforts, to include overarching experimentation planning/execution, management, technical, and engineering support, assessment of equipment, new Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), training programs, and proposed organizational changes associated with enhanced C4 capabilities. The area provides cutting edge/enhanced Over-The-Horizon (OTH), Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS), satellite and non-satellite based C4 capabilities to support experimentation. Programs listed below are considered major (valued at $500K or more) or have near real-time operational impact. Investments in this activity are conducted under the Thrust Areas of Command, Control, Communications, and Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) and Cyber/Electronic Warfare (Cyber/EW).

This activity includes Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory / Futures Directorate (MCWL/FD) experimentation efforts in the areas of fires, targeting, and maneuver, to include overarching experimentation planning/execution, management, technical, and engineering support, assessment of equipment, new Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), training programs, and proposed organizational changes associated with enhanced capabilities. This area increases fires, targeting, and maneuver related troop environmental awareness, lethality, and mobility using fused sensors as well as unmanned weaponized and reconnaissance air and ground vehicle platforms to support experimentation. Most programs listed below are considered major (valued at $500K or more) or have near real-time operational impact. Investments in this activity are conducted under the Thrust Areas of Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Fires, Maneuver, and Autonomy and Robotics.

This activity includes Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory / Futures Directorate (MCWL/FD) Combat Service Support and Force Protection experimentation efforts, to include overarching experimentation planning/execution, management, technical, and engineering support, assessment of equipment, new Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), training opportunities, and proposed organizational changes associated with enhanced capabilities. This activity develops technology in support of a more distributed technologically advanced force, increasing range, effectiveness, sustainability, and survivability of the Marine Corps Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). Most programs listed below are considered major (valued at $500K or more) or have near real-time operational impact. Investments in this activity are conducted under the Thrust Areas of Expeditionary Logistics, Expeditionary Medical, Force Protection, or Autonomy and Robotics.

This activity investigates new ways and means to land forces and material through contested sea-land surface interfaces and then conduct maneuver warfare. In order to enable future Amphibious Operations, research efforts will support autonomous operations across the sea-surf-ground environment, improved fuel efficiency and speed of amphibious vehicles, amphibious vehicle technologies, water performance, and amphibious payloads to change the dynamics of a surface amphibious assault. This includes the emergence of manned-unmanned teaming and autonomous vehicle collaboration. The technologies included in this work address areas of mobility, materials, propulsion, signature reduction, modularity, and unmanned systems. This also encompasses navigating the surf zone by a small autonomous vehicle, navigating negative obstacles on land at speed, overcoming adversarial intent, and developing low-cost robotic autonomy kits to support of expeditionary amphibious operations (e.g., ISR, mine-counter-measures, breaching, fire support, and logistics).

This R-2 Activity addresses the advanced technology development associated with the Marine Corps' participation in the Department of the Navy's (DoN) Future Naval Capabilities (FNC) Program. The objective of the work in this Program Element (PE) is to develop promising technologies emerging from the FNC technology candidates funded in PE 0602131M that have been matured to higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). Investments in this activity are coordinated with similar and non-duplicative efforts in PE 0603673N. The FNC Program is structured to accelerate the transition of new technologies to the Fleet and Force. Each effort is assessed for its technology maturity and transition commitment. Funding for FNCs, which have Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) of 4/5 to 6 and also have transition funding commitments from acquisition Programs of Record, are resourced in this PE 0603640M MC Advanced Technology Demo. Funding for FNC technology candidates at lower TRLs (3 to 4) is resourced in PE 0602131M Marine Corps Landing Force Tech. ONR is working closely with the Resource Sponsors and acquisition stakeholders to develop high priority technological capabilities needed by the operational forces. FNC budget activity (BA) 2 investments develop candidate FNC technologies in an agile fashion by exploiting technology advances that respond rapidly to naval needs. This approach facilitates an optimum response when developing and maturing the technology options that can be developed further in this PE 0603640M MC Advanced Technology Demo. The FNC Program favors a high level of collaboration. Collaboration with the acquisition stakeholders and their resource sponsors is required. A complete accounting of the technology candidates being developed and a full disposition of each technology development effort funded in this PE is provided annually to the Congressional oversight committees.

This activity investigates enhanced situational awareness, persistent surveillance, and tactical decision making through automated analysis of data and rapid integration of information and acquired knowledge. Specific technologies in this activity effectively present actionable information to decision-makers, especially those at the lower command levels. This includes biometric monitoring for expeditionary operations, operational Course of Action development, and autonomous surveillance in support of distributed operations. Conduct advanced development research on the impact of machine learning on mission outcomes. Will investigate the operational relevance of enhanced situational understanding and machine-aided tactical decision-making. This includes presenting actionable information (e.g. support to planning, mission monitoring, and re-planning) to decision makers. Further, this activity supports the demonstration of technologies to enhance situational awareness and tactical decision making through automated analysis, fusion of data, rapid integration of information, and acquired knowledge resulting in actionable intelligence at the lower command levels. The activity includes the demonstration of ISR efforts involving enhanced reconnaissance and persistent surveillance, and sensors for unmanned ground and aerial vehicles. Advanced technology demonstrations also include the collection of information (monitoring, sensing, and locating) in the 3-Dimensional urban battlespace as well as exploiting information (identifying and classifying data) as part of the intelligence preparation of the battlespace in order to facilitate operational maneuver and distributed operations.

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

This activity investigates new ways and means to protect forces and materiel across all operational settings from contested sea-land surface interfaces to complex urban environments. The portfolio protects against adversaries' challenges such as guided-rockets and missiles, mobile coastal artillery, threat Electronic Warfare and Counter Intelligence, and Surveillance and Reconnaissance. Mines and obstacles both in the water and ashore also complicate amphibious landings. The activity invests in vehicle survivability aspects that are exacerbated due to Size, Weight, and Power Cost constraints inherent to Marine Corps operation and the harsh nature of the amphibious environment. Technologies addressed include lightweight armor for ballistic and underbody blast protection, advanced sensors for counter tactical surveillance, active protection, and signature management. This activity also considers technology for payloads, packages and sensors that are needed by amphibious vehicles (both manned and unmanned) including mine counter measures; explosive hazard defeat systems; and obstacle and threat detection systems as well as technologies for improved protection for individuals against blast, ballistic and blunt impact threats. Technologies in this activity enable Marine Corps forces to maintain operational tempo through a range of environments by avoiding or detecting surveillance and targeting capabilities before engagement; counter detection and targeting (e.g. long range sniper, urban shooter, rocket propelled grenades) and delay vehicle detection and identification through signature management/control.

This activity investigates robust, resilient, and secure networked communications pathways and capability that support an expeditionary force's distributed and disaggregated operations. Research supports both networked and local computation for communications that exploits the expeditionary forces close physical proximity to threats while mitigating shortfalls commensurate within denied, degraded, intermittent, or limited (DDIL) communications environments. Expeditionary forces must operate in the cyber domain and in addition to defending communications networks, vehicles, and weapons systems, are reliant on electronic controllers for basic operations and as such are susceptible to cyberattacks. Technologies addressed within this activity include secure, robust, self-forming, mobile communications networks; distributed computing to support information dissemination to all echelons; improved capabilities in over-the-horizon, beyond line-of-sight, and restricted environment communications and sensors; and software and data processing to support formation of an appropriate common picture. Other efforts include power management, low detectability, conforming to Size, Weight, Power, Cost constraints, and interoperability within the joint environment. Further, this activity integrates and demonstrates enhanced communications and situational awareness capabilities in experimental and warfighting environments reflecting USMC operations. Advanced technology resources will be developed and applied to complement commercial, other service, and defense agency investments to produce a technology base addressing identified Marine Corps technology gaps. Focus will be on developing component level prototypes and experimentation in relevant environments.

This activity investigates several technology investment areas; warrior resilience, and decision-making and expertise development. Warrior resilience is focused on advanced training technologies and methodologies that enhance neural, cognitive, and physical readiness. Decision making and expertise development accelerates development and improves the retention of skills in decision making, situation awareness, and individual and team adaptability and coordination on decentralized, dynamic and dispersed battlefields. Focus will be on developing component level prototypes for Marine for evaluation and experimentation.