Analytic Assessments

The Science and Technology (S&T) Analytic Assessments Program Element (PE 0603288D8Z), managed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, supports Department initiatives to revive the warrior ethos, rebuild the military, and reestablish deterrence. Its primary objective is to provide the Office of Strategic Intelligence and Analysis (OSI&A) under the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) with analytic capabilities that integrate intelligence reporting and independent technical expertise. These capabilities are used to execute comparative assessments that inform DoD investment decisions and shape the development of innovative technologies to address emerging threats and opportunities as outlined in the Interim National Defense Strategy Guidance.

Science and Technology Analytic Assessments (Project 328) focus on integrating information from acquisition, intelligence, operational, and S&T communities to quantify key attributes of emerging challenges and assess counter-technology opportunities. Activities include Net Technical Assessments, which partner with Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, University Affiliated Research Centers, industry, and academia to conduct comparative evaluations of critical technologies. These assessments determine technological advantage and inform investment decisions across the DoD S&T Enterprise. Additional efforts involve operational and technical assessments that evaluate DoD operational scenarios, identify capability gaps, and incorporate adversary threat trends to determine challenges that could be mitigated through emerging technologies.

The program also funds technology-based wargames and workshops, which bring together operational, technology, and intelligence communities to characterize emerging technologies in future operational environments. These activities evaluate disruptive potential and identify opportunities and challenges, providing insights that inform programmatic and policy decisions related to operational concept development. The outputs of these wargames support future concept and capability development, prototyping, experimentation, and threat forecasting. This helps align DoD modernization activities with joint requirements and threat landscapes.

Technology Watch/Horizon Scanning (Project 177) supports Global Research Watch activities by identifying technology research trends and forecasting concepts and technology maturation with potential military applications through 2040. This project provides tailored technical assessments to identify military relevance, research opportunities, and investment targets for emerging S&T. The program leverages systematic analysis of scientific research databases, characterizes global S&T landscapes, and integrates findings from technology scanning, forecasting, and maturation assessments. Collaboration with international partners, including the U.K., Australia, and FVEY nations, is a key component, enabling co-development and co-investment opportunities and accelerating the integration of emerging technologies into defense portfolios.

Intelligence integration is a critical objective of both projects, involving recurring technical exchanges between OUSD(R&E) stakeholders and S&T intelligence subject matter experts. These engagements facilitate the direct exchange of intelligence needs and finished products, complement open-source findings, and establish a comprehensive understanding of the global technology landscape. The program also directs the Defense Intelligence Enterprise to provide analytic input to OUSD(R&E)-defined critical intelligence needs and disseminates responses to stakeholders. This supports S&T intelligence initiatives and informs strategic direction.

A notable FY 2026 initiative is the Transition Tracking Action Group (TTAG), which aims to enhance enterprise-wide visibility into the Department's technology investments by developing systemic approaches for decision makers in the DoD and Congress. This includes identifying relevant data sets, developing a common data lexicon, and enabling tagging, tracking, and analysis of technology investments. TTAG's insights expedite the transition of technology to the warfighter and improve DoD responsiveness to Congressional oversight.

In FY 2024, the program also supported the Strategic Multilayer Assessment Cell through a Congressional add. SMA projects respond to urgent national security challenges and involve participants from across the U.S. Government, foreign partners, academia, and the private sector. Key accomplishments included studies on strategic deterrence frameworks for USSTRATCOM and USEUCOM, modeling exploitable conditions in Africa for USAFRICOM, and a speaker series on human-machine teaming. These efforts produced actionable insights, tools, and concepts that support campaign planning, operational analysis, and future defense strategies.