Rapid Cyber Acquisition

Known as Rapid Cyber Acquisition (RCA) is a critical initiative within the Air Force's Research, Development, Test & Evaluation budget activity. The primary goal of RCA is to expedite the development and modification of cyber capabilities to meet the evolving needs of Combatant and Joint Force Commanders. This effort encompasses both materiel (hardware, software, and tool development) and non-materiel (technical support) aspects, aiming to deliver new cyber capabilities at the pace of warfighting relevance. RCA integrates with other Service and Government Agency activities to leverage Air Force-developed technologies and operational capabilities, facilitating rapid prototyping, integration, and transition activities for cyber capabilities.

The specific objectives of the RCA initiative include maintaining and executing multidisciplinary targeting, target systems analysis, and developmental planning capabilities in support of the USAF cyber mission. Additionally, the program aims to advance software development pipelines, increase secure lab capability capacity for research and testing of cyber warfare capabilities, and host skilled cyberweapon development teams to prototype and deliver new capabilities. The RCA initiative also focuses on building standardized environments, adding Hardware-in-the-Loop capabilities, deploying to edge devices, and creating authoritative pipeline solutions to meet cyber operator requirements. Overall, the program seeks to provide a tailorable acquisition strategy that facilitates rapid delivery of material and nonmaterial solutions to address operational cyber requirements.