Rapid technological evolution across modern conflict zones has highlighted the importance of nimble adaptation that defies the typical acquisition and procurement process. In new research produced through Arrowhead Research, Master Sgt. Travis Williams, a career Special Operations soldier and Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Military Science Instructor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, has put forward a proposal for a more rapid system of designing military improvements through military partnerships with regionally-aligned universities throughout the country.
The Special Operations Association of America brings Williams’ full recommendations, below, to our readers to demonstrate versatile options for harnessing available assets to rapidly design and implement new technologies on an ever-changing battlefield.
Identifying the Problem
Modern battlefields demand rapidly defending against evolving enemy technology in addition to innovating new offensive technology. Unfortunately, the procurement cycle for launching and fielding new technology takes place on a timeline that does not favor the warfighter.
Current methods for bypassing dated pathways, the rapid prototyping (RP) and rapid fielding (RF) initiatives, have limitations, and are only applicable to capabilities that have reached the point on the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale where they can be tested outside the laboratory.
Capabilities still in the earlier TRL phases of development may prove irrelevant, lack survivability in the real world, or have limited use because their creators lack the military experience to understand what is, and is not, helpful on the battlefield. The labs where they are tested can also face challenges.
Experimental laboratories can provide unique solutions for direct acquisitions, but Williams says they suffer from the hurdles of capital unpredictability, partnership limitations, and shortcomings for fielding prototypes.
Education Partnership Agreements (EPA), formal relationships between defense labs and educational institutions, offer expertise for creating quality prototypes, but are underutilized, according to Williams.
A Better Path
One solution to bringing more innovation to the warfighter is what Williams calls the University Technical Integrator Program (UTIP). The UTIP would formalize partnerships with universities throughout the country, which would be regionally aligned to support a variety of nearby military installations. Williams also proposes sending military personnel with excellent histories of operational and combat leadership to participating campuses for a one-year, permanent change of station tour of duty to support campus development teams with tactical and operational insights.
Williams suggests limiting fast-tracked developments through UTIP to non-critical hardware. For universities with existing EPAs, UTIP would ensure alignment with Department of Defense needs and increase productivity.
Williams suggests that being able to tap into university funding streams through UTIP would be advantageous, minimizing disruptions to the traditional commercial defense sector while enabling low-cost and fast-turnaround developments to support soldier success. The pathway for procurement through UTIP would also face fewer constraints from the National Defense Authorization Act and International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which can enhance success.
The more UTIP participants, the greater operability between them, Williams argues. Affiliated universities can work together on specialized issues, or shift tasks to other participants in the event of schedule disruption. The network can also leverage the unique expertise and assets of its individual participants, including access to specialized technologies for testing or manufacturing.
As technological innovations save American lives on battlefields worldwide, the continued need for speedy developments has never been greater. SOAA supports bold initiatives like UTIP which can push new developments into the hands of warfighters tasked with keeping our country safe.
Procurement Innovations Needed to Create Agile Support for Military
Rapid technological evolution across modern conflict zones has highlighted the importance of nimble adaptation that defies the typical acquisition and procurement process. In new research produced through Arrowhead Research, Master Sgt. Travis Williams, a career Special Operations soldier and Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Military Science Instructor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, has put forward a proposal for a more rapid system of designing military improvements through military partnerships with regionally-aligned universities throughout the country.
The Special Operations Association of America brings Williams’ full recommendations, below, to our readers to demonstrate versatile options for harnessing available assets to rapidly design and implement new technologies on an ever-changing battlefield.
Identifying the Problem
Modern battlefields demand rapidly defending against evolving enemy technology in addition to innovating new offensive technology. Unfortunately, the procurement cycle for launching and fielding new technology takes place on a timeline that does not favor the warfighter.
Current methods for bypassing dated pathways, the rapid prototyping (RP) and rapid fielding (RF) initiatives, have limitations, and are only applicable to capabilities that have reached the point on the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale where they can be tested outside the laboratory.
Capabilities still in the earlier TRL phases of development may prove irrelevant, lack survivability in the real world, or have limited use because their creators lack the military experience to understand what is, and is not, helpful on the battlefield. The labs where they are tested can also face challenges.
Experimental laboratories can provide unique solutions for direct acquisitions, but Williams says they suffer from the hurdles of capital unpredictability, partnership limitations, and shortcomings for fielding prototypes.
Education Partnership Agreements (EPA), formal relationships between defense labs and educational institutions, offer expertise for creating quality prototypes, but are underutilized, according to Williams.
A Better Path
One solution to bringing more innovation to the warfighter is what Williams calls the University Technical Integrator Program (UTIP). The UTIP would formalize partnerships with universities throughout the country, which would be regionally aligned to support a variety of nearby military installations. Williams also proposes sending military personnel with excellent histories of operational and combat leadership to participating campuses for a one-year, permanent change of station tour of duty to support campus development teams with tactical and operational insights.
Williams suggests limiting fast-tracked developments through UTIP to non-critical hardware. For universities with existing EPAs, UTIP would ensure alignment with Department of Defense needs and increase productivity.
Williams suggests that being able to tap into university funding streams through UTIP would be advantageous, minimizing disruptions to the traditional commercial defense sector while enabling low-cost and fast-turnaround developments to support soldier success. The pathway for procurement through UTIP would also face fewer constraints from the National Defense Authorization Act and International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which can enhance success.
The more UTIP participants, the greater operability between them, Williams argues. Affiliated universities can work together on specialized issues, or shift tasks to other participants in the event of schedule disruption. The network can also leverage the unique expertise and assets of its individual participants, including access to specialized technologies for testing or manufacturing.
As technological innovations save American lives on battlefields worldwide, the continued need for speedy developments has never been greater. SOAA supports bold initiatives like UTIP which can push new developments into the hands of warfighters tasked with keeping our country safe.
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