Advanced Concept Military Technology Announced for 2002

Tuesday, March 5th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge, under secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, announced today the selection of new Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) projects for fiscal year 2002. The ACTD program aids in rapidly transitioning advanced technology into the hands of the unified commanders. Of the funded ACTDs for fiscal year 2002, 11 will directly support the war on terrorism.

The military services, theater commanders and Defense agencies submitted nearly 80 proposed fiscal year 2002 ACTD projects. Representatives of the military services and unified commanders reviewed the list of proposals and provided their priorities to the Joint Staff's Joint Requirements Oversight Council (JROC).

Marrying new operational concepts with new technologies, ACTDs reduce the time required to field new systems and increase end-user involvement in system refinement and integration.

Initiated in 1995, the ACTD program focuses on rapidly placing maturing technologies in the hands of warfighters. In partnership with operational commanders, the services and the Joint Staff, the program delivers prototypes as tailored solutions for validated mission needs. Our products demonstrate the military utility of new technologies while giving warfighters hands-on experience to develop concepts for operational employment.

ACTD projects span a broad spectrum of operational requirements with an emphasis on joint capabilities. In many cases, ACTDs yield transformational changes. Products such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unattended ground sensors (UGS) change the paradigms for military operations.

Approximately 30 ACTD products support our nation's counter-terrorism efforts in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle.

The ACTDs selected for initiation in fiscal year 2002 include:

Active Denial System: A system mounted on stationary and mobile platforms to provide long-range, anti-personnel, non-lethal force options to commanders.

Agile Transportation: A system providing visibility of transportation requirements and assets to improve scheduling decision support tools for mode determination and optimization of inter- and intra-theater lift assets.

Coalition Information Assurance Common Operational Picture:
Provides a detailed information assurance and situational awareness picture of the information system security status of all mission critical systems on a near-or-real-time basis in support of CINC and coalition missions.

Contamination Avoidance at Seaports of Debarkation: Provides a deployable package for a chemical and biological defense capability at seaports of debarkation to minimize impact on seaport operations.

Expendable Unmanned Air Vehicle and Air-Launched Extended Range
Transporter: Air vehicles providing covert delivery of off-board sensors, tactical surveillance, battle damage assessment and weapons of mass destruction monitoring at low cost.

Homeland Security: A homeland security capability for assured, secure, survivable interagency network connectivity to assess and track threats across multiple domains with a coordinated response capability to neutralize threats and recover from damage.

HYCAS: A hyperspectral collection and analysis system with sensors integrated onto operational platforms and into the existing tasking, processing, exploitation and dissemination (TPED) architectures supporting a counter-concealment, camouflage and deception intelligence capability.

Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal-Knowledge and Technology Operational Demonstration: A system providing a new integrated capability for joint and coalition explosive ordnance disposal forces.

Language and Speech Exploitation Resources: Systems automating translation of spoken or written foreign languages for quickly translating captured documents, debriefing witnesses and supporting communication in coalition operations.

Micro Air Vehicle: A fully autonomous 6-9 inch micro aerial vehicle providing small ground combat units with situational awareness of enemy activity using a low-cost, disposal air vehicle.

Pathfinder: An integration of unattended ground vehicles, unmanned air vehicles and smart sensors in a mobile, self-forming network providing enhanced situational awareness, command, control and communications to commanders and assault forces for urban reconnaissance.

Thermobaric: A penetrator payload to defeat enemy tunnel facilities and weapons.

Three additional ACTD projects will be initiated during this fiscal year if funding permits. These include:

Agent Defeat Warhead: A weapon providing a high temperature incendiary kinetic energy penetrator warhead to destroy biological and chemical manufacturing and storage facilities.

Joint Distance Support and Response: A system providing near-real-time, reliable, accurate telemaintenance for forward deployed forces and weapon systems using a collaborative knowledge center and tool suite, with reach-back capability.

SPARTAN: An unmanned surface watercraft providing a low-cost force multiplier with integrated expeditionary sensor and weapon systems for use against asymmetric threats.

Information on ACTDs can be found at www.acq.osd.mil/actd/descript.htm