The Adaptive Capabilities Office (ACO), working in close partnership with the military services, develops adaptive warfighting architectures that combine emerging technologies with new warfighting constructs to address the challenges faced by military forces. Over the past few decades, the effective projection of military power has become increasingly dependent on complex combinations of capabilities resident in all domains in order to achieve combined effects not possible from individual platforms or services. The combination of effects created by systems in or delivered through all domains, from the seafloor to space, including those via cyber and the electromagnetic spectrum, dictates a different approach to concept development. While in the past the delivery of effects could be described by linear ‘kill chains’ with a single execution path, this new level of complexity demands an understanding of ‘kill webs’- complex representations of effect chains with multiple possible paths that require adaptive architectures that can handle the rapidly changing context of modern combat. These adaptive architectures must be developed through a coherent campaign of study and analysis, constructive modeling and simulation (M&S), and live, virtual, and constructive experimentation. ACO is seeking innovative ideas and disruptive technologies that support this process and that focus on increasing the lethality and freedom of movement of U.S. military forces in complex battlefield conditions.

Relevant technology areas

ACO describes a Kill-Web as a composable ensemble of warfighting elements, able to execute multiple independent kill chains by mapping specific elements to execute various functions of the kill chain. Consequently, ACO is looking to advance the state of the art across the entire detect to engage spectrum. Interests specifically include the following technical areas:

Architecture – ACO is seeking new, innovative methods for creating and adapting kill webs across all domains and services. The ability to use data analytics and other appropriate tools to optimize kill web architectures is critical.

Sensing and tracking – ACO is seeking new, innovative methods for finding and tracking difficult, or high value targets diverse battlefield conditions. Technology based approaches for rapid geolocation and identification of targets in all physical domains are desired. Additionally, technology solutions enhancing the ability to fuse diverse data and develop tracks at various security levels are desired.

Lethality – Increasing the lethality of weapon systems is an important contribution to enhancing overall kill web efficiency. ACO interests include concepts and applications to improve the lethality of weapon systems.

Survivability – Survivability is foundational to operations in battlefield operations. ACO seeks to discover technologies that will increase survivability for both weapons and platforms.

Communications – Disaggregated, all domain operations require resilient communications across the entire architecture. Innovative approaches for wide area beyond line of sight (BLOS) and line of sight (LOS) communication methods are necessary for the development of effective kill-webs. ACO is seeking technology opportunities to maintain robust, effective communications across the diverse battlefield situations.

Advanced Battle Management – Future kill-webs will only be as fast, effective and dynamic as their underlying battle management backbones. ACO seeks technology to enable timely complex battlefield operations across multiple services and domains.

Complex all-domain Experimentation – ACO seeks novel approaches and technologies to enable efficient, credible, exploration and testing of complex kill webs.

Relevant non-kinetic Effects – ACO seeks novel approaches to achieving the goals in the program overview through non-kinetic means.

Faster Than Real Time Modeling and Simulation – ACO is seeking a capability for advanced modeling and simulation of kill-webs and warfighting architectures with the ability to create “mission cost” data driven functions to inform future funding decisions and battle management approaches. Relevant technologies for modeling and simulation involves:

• Modeling and simulation architectures
• Battle Management Command and Control Technologies
• Model development
• Advanced analytics
• Modeling and Simulation user interfaces
• Analytical tools and concepts

Proposers are strongly encouraged to limit the scope of proposed efforts to a single clearly identifiable research technical area with quantitative technical metrics across all phases.

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