Aviation Safety Technologies

The Aviation Safety Technologies program, managed by the Office of the Secretary of Defense under Program Element (PE) 0606301D8Z, is a research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) initiative focused on enhancing safety and occupational health (SOH) across the Department of Defense (DoD). The primary goal of this program is to modernize and centralize the collection, management, and analysis of safety-related data, with a specific emphasis on aviation mishaps, near-misses, and hazards. This effort is aligned with key DoD strategic directives, including the DoD Digital Modernization Strategy, Federal Data Strategies, the Personnel and Readiness Strategy for 2030, and the DoD SOH Strategic Plan.

A central objective of the program is to address the longstanding challenge of disparate and incomplete SOH data collection across DoD Components. Currently, safety information is gathered from multiple, often overlapping sources, which impedes timely and comprehensive trend analysis and risk mitigation. The program seeks to establish a centralized, standardized safety information management system that will serve as the authoritative repository for all DoD SOH data. This will enable consistent reporting and analysis comparable to industry best practices.

The program specifically responds to recommendations from the 2020 National Commission on Military Aviation Safety (NCMAS) and fulfills statutory requirements under Title 10 U.S.C. 184, which mandates uniform data collection standards and a centralized mishap information repository. By modernizing the existing Force Risk Reduction (FR2) tool into a comprehensive safety information case management system, the program aims to provide all DoD Components including those currently lacking automated systems with the capability to enter, track, and manage the full lifecycle of safety incidents, from identification and investigation to mitigation and sharing of lessons learned.

The Force Safety & Occupational Health (FSOH) line item within this program is the principal mechanism for achieving these objectives. In FY 2025, efforts focus on updating the safety management tool based on pilot feedback, ensuring robust information security, developing data transmission feeds to the Advana analytics platform, and expanding operational capability to additional DoD Components. The FY 2026 budget request supports continued expansion, further testing, addressing identified deficiencies, ensuring compliance with safety data and process standards, and providing necessary training for implementation.

The justification for this investment is rooted in the need to protect the lives, safety, health, and welfare of the DoD workforce, as well as to safeguard significant investments in weapons systems, platforms, and infrastructure. Without a modern, centralized SOH information management system, the DoD risks continued inconsistent mishap reporting, limited ability to analyze trends, and challenges in sharing recommendations and lessons learned across the enterprise. This could hinder timely and informed risk decisions and resource investments for mishap prevention, potentially impacting operational readiness.

Failure to fund the program would result in non-compliance with Congressional mandates and perpetuate existing gaps in the DoD's ability to manage safety information effectively. The program's approach expanding FR2 functionality and consolidating SOH data represents the most efficient and effective path to achieving a compliant, centralized safety information capability. The FY 2026 funding decrease reflects anticipated efficiencies in contracting for advisory and assistance services, in line with Executive Order 14222 on government cost efficiency.