Radiological and Nuclear Defense Modernization Operational System Development

Mission— Radiological and Nuclear Defense Modernization Operational System Development

This Program Element (PE) supports the Department's Defense Priorities to Rebuild our Military and Reestablish Deterrence. This PE supports the modernization of radiological and nuclear (R/N) defense capabilities that enable the Department to prevent R/N attacks on the homeland and Joint Force abroad through deterrence, as well as survive and operate in and through a R/N environment. This aligns with the Interim National Defense Strategy and addresses the challenges of keeping pace with our increasingly nuclear-capable adversaries by developing modern R/N detection and identification capabilities that are networked into secure and hardened communications, command, and control (C3) systems. This PE supports the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) Radiological and Nuclear Defense Capability Development (RNDCD) Program. The RNDCD Program is addressing the strategic objective of ‘fielding modernized R/N detection capabilities to enable the Joint Force to operate more effectively in a R/N contaminated environment’ (Department of Defense (DoD) Strategic Management Plan for FY2022-2026). The RNDCD Program enhances DoD’s capabilities to campaign across the domains of threats and spectrums of conflict by improving the Department’s capability to campaign, fight, and win in a R/N environment. By building a R/N resilient Joint Force and National Guard Bureau, this program contributes to reestablishing deterrence by denying any strategic advantage our adversaries may perceive in using nuclear weapons on the homeland or Joint Force stationed abroad. This program is specifically geared to provide modern, networked R/N detection, indication, and identification capabilities to the warfighter and to upgrade obsolescing equipment, increasing capability to operate in a R/N environment (2023 CWMD Strategy). The RNDCD Program enables DoD to: prepare for and respond to any emergency involving nuclear and/or radiological events in the United States; provide a capability for the Joint Force to withstand, operate through, and recover from an R/N event; improve resilience; and promote integrated layered deterrence of WMD with state, local, and other federal agencies. This funding line is the only Budget Authority (BA)-7 funding in the Department dedicated to modernizing R/N capabilities for the warfighter. The Office of the Secretary of Defense uses the RNDCD Program to invest strategically in projects across the Military Services, Combatant Commands, and Defense Agencies. Funding is prioritized for projects that close Joint Force warfighter capability gaps. An annual investment strategy is used to meet emergent operational and capability needs which are validated by the Joint Force and the National Guard Bureau, yielding new fielded capabilities within one to three years. Through the Radiological and Nuclear Defense Modernization Operational Systems Development PE, the RNDCD Program will invest in the modernization of fielded capabilities to improve DoD’s capability to detect and identify radiological and nuclear threats; integration of technologies, systems and components; operational test and evaluation of fielded capabilities to new end users; and delivery of field and table top exercises to identify, refine, and address materiel and non-materiel gaps and requirements in R/N defense. This program seeks to merge previous research, development, and acquisitions efforts across DoD to field common and interoperable capabilities across the Joint Force and the National Guard Bureau. Specifically in FY 2026, this PE will support the modernization of 1) the Radioisotope Identification Detector (RIID); 2) the Radiological Detection System (RDS); 3) the Gamma Detector Response and Analysis Software (GADRAS) suite; 4) the Vehicle Integrated Platform Enhanced Radiation Detection, Indication, and Computation (VIPER) system; 5) a test and evaluation article for Army mobile radiation sensors; and 6) a R/N detector for use in a GPS denied environment. This program funds labor, materials, and travel to support the requirements of this program, performed by a government agency or by private individuals or organizations under a contract with the government, for activities and acquisitions including Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E), assessments and analyses, research studies, education, and other activities related to capability development and fielding.

Mission— Radiological and Nuclear Defense Modernization Operational System Development

This Program Element (PE) supports the Department's Defense Priorities to Rebuild our Military and Reestablish Deterrence. This PE supports the modernization of radiological and nuclear (R/N) defense capabilities that enable the Department to prevent R/N attacks on the homeland and Joint Force abroad through deterrence, as well as survive and operate in and through a R/N environment. This aligns with the Interim National Defense Strategy and addresses the challenges of keeping pace with our increasingly nuclear-capable adversaries by developing modern R/N detection and identification capabilities that are networked into secure and hardened communications, command, and control (C3) systems. This PE supports the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)) Radiological and Nuclear Defense Capability Development (RNDCD) Program. The RNDCD Program is addressing the strategic objective of ‘fielding modernized R/N detection capabilities to enable the Joint Force to operate more effectively in a R/N contaminated environment’ (Department of Defense (DoD) Strategic Management Plan for FY2022-2026). The RNDCD Program enhances DoD’s capabilities to campaign across the domains of threats and spectrums of conflict by improving the Department’s capability to campaign, fight, and win in a R/N environment. By building a R/N resilient Joint Force and National Guard Bureau, this program contributes to reestablishing deterrence by denying any strategic advantage our adversaries may perceive in using nuclear weapons on the homeland or Joint Force stationed abroad. This program is specifically geared to provide modern, networked R/N detection, indication, and identification capabilities to the warfighter and to upgrade obsolescing equipment, increasing capability to operate in a R/N environment (2023 CWMD Strategy). The RNDCD Program enables DoD to: prepare for and respond to any emergency involving nuclear and/or radiological events in the United States; provide a capability for the Joint Force to withstand, operate through, and recover from an R/N event; improve resilience; and promote integrated layered deterrence of WMD with state, local, and other federal agencies. This funding line is the only Budget Authority (BA)-7 funding in the Department dedicated to modernizing R/N capabilities for the warfighter. The Office of the Secretary of Defense uses the RNDCD Program to invest strategically in projects across the Military Services, Combatant Commands, and Defense Agencies. Funding is prioritized for projects that close Joint Force warfighter capability gaps. An annual investment strategy is used to meet emergent operational and capability needs which are validated by the Joint Force and the National Guard Bureau, yielding new fielded capabilities within one to three years. Through the Radiological and Nuclear Defense Modernization Operational Systems Development PE, the RNDCD Program will invest in the modernization of fielded capabilities to improve DoD’s capability to detect and identify radiological and nuclear threats; integration of technologies, systems and components; operational test and evaluation of fielded capabilities to new end users; and delivery of field and table top exercises to identify, refine, and address materiel and non-materiel gaps and requirements in R/N defense. This program seeks to merge previous research, development, and acquisitions efforts across DoD to field common and interoperable capabilities across the Joint Force and the National Guard Bureau. Specifically in FY 2026, this PE will support the modernization of 1) the Radioisotope Identification Detector (RIID); 2) the Radiological Detection System (RDS); 3) the Gamma Detector Response and Analysis Software (GADRAS) suite; 4) the Vehicle Integrated Platform Enhanced Radiation Detection, Indication, and Computation (VIPER) system; 5) a test and evaluation article for Army mobile radiation sensors; and 6) a R/N detector for use in a GPS denied environment. This program funds labor, materials, and travel to support the requirements of this program, performed by a government agency or by private individuals or organizations under a contract with the government, for activities and acquisitions including Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E), assessments and analyses, research studies, education, and other activities related to capability development and fielding.

Accomplishments & Planned Programs (1)