Technology Innovation

Technology Innovation under the Office of the Secretary of Defense, aims to support the Department's initiatives to Deter Strategic Attacks, Defend the Homeland, and Build a Resilient Joint Force and Defense Ecosystem. The program focuses on rapidly moving emerging technologies to a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) where they would be ready for demonstration in a prototyping or demonstration acceleration program to support warfighter needs. This includes efforts within the Department’s Critical Technology Areas that contribute to broader joint mission needs. The program also aims to react quickly to emerging technologies critical for staying ahead of adversaries, leveraging breakthroughs in quantum technology and developing higher maturity prototypes for integration into military applications.

The Technology Innovation program specifically focuses on rapid innovation and demonstration efforts to address priority warfighter problem sets and National Defense Strategy focus areas. It is currently focused on developing atomic clocks and biotechnology to accelerate progress along DoD Modernization priority roadmaps. Additionally, the program aims to demonstrate emerging biotechnology advancements and stimulate additional investment in biotechnology that can address DoD needs. Furthermore, it supports research and development efforts to determine the cause of anomalous health incidents affecting government personnel at locations around the world. This includes multi-Service/multi-Agency Laboratory collaboration to assess bioeffects and causes of these incidents.

Overall, the program seeks to sustain technological superiority by proactively engaging in research and development in quantum information science (QIS) for timing, sensing, computing, and networking applications. It also aims to leverage innovative technologies from both defense and commercial sources, including non-traditional sources such as startup companies, with the potential to rapidly advance this field to address warfighter problem sets.