Emerging Technology Initiatives

The Emerging Technology Initiatives program, under Program Element (PE) 0605054A, is a key Army Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) line item focused on accelerating the prototyping, demonstration, and fielding of advanced technology solutions to address emerging threats. The overarching goal is to mature and demonstrate innovative capabilities in operationally relevant environments, particularly for ground, aviation, command and control, communications, reconnaissance systems, precision weapons, and Soldier equipment. The program aims to deliver experimental prototypes that provide residual combat capability, facilitating rapid transition to formal acquisition programs within the Army or broader Department of Defense (DoD) portfolio.

DJ9: Guam Defense System Management is a major subcomponent of the Emerging Technology Initiatives, with funding supporting the Joint Program Office (JPO) responsible for developing a 360-degree Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense (EIAMD) system for Guam. This effort is a joint undertaking involving the US Army, Navy, Air Force, and Missile Defense Agency, designed to defend Guam against advanced ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missile threats. The program supports strategic deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region and aligns with the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI). Key objectives include architecture development, configuration management, integrated testing, development of the Joint Integrated Battle Management (JIBM) system, and synchronization of doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership, personnel, facilities, and policy (DOTMLPF-P).

Within the Guam Defense System line, funds will continue JPO operations, support integration and coordination across multiple DoD agencies, and initiate acquisition of low-cost foreign radars for testing and potential incorporation into the defense architecture. The program is structured around incremental operational capability milestones, with Early Operational Capability targeted for 2027, Initial Operational Capability in 2029, and Full Operational Capability by 2032. The acquisition strategy leverages a hybrid approach, combining Middle Tier Acquisition Rapid Fielding (MTA-RF) for hardware elements and a Software Pathway for JIBM development, ensuring rapid delivery and integration of new technologies.

FI3: Rapid Capability Development and Maturation funds high-priority, threat-based projects intended to deliver operationally effective capabilities in the near- and mid-term. Managed by the Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), this line item supports accelerated materiel development and prototyping in areas such as directed energy, long-range precision fires, air and missile defense, cyber, artificial intelligence, signals intelligence, unmanned systems, communications, survivability, and robotics.

RCCTO works closely with Army Futures Command, Program Executive Offices, and industry partners to identify, assess, and prototype solutions for urgent operational gaps, with a focus on rapid transition to acquisition programs. Key projects under Rapid Capability Development and Maturation include the Human Machine Integrated Formation (HMIF), which integrates robotics and automation to enhance the agility, lethality, and resilience of Army formations. Other efforts involve concept prototyping in machine learning, resilient communications, counter-UAS technologies, advanced sensing, and hybrid electric ground vehicles.

The program also supports Selective Propagation APS Radar (SPAR) development for vehicle protection and offensive swarm UAS prototyping. Funding is used for technical assessments, prototype integration, operational testing, and transition planning, with streamlined acquisition strategies including Other Transaction Authority agreements and competitive procedures to engage non-traditional vendors.

FL7: Rapid Capability Support provides core civilian labor funding to enable rapid prototyping and delivery of residual combat capability in support of Army modernization priorities and the National Defense Strategy. This line item supports efforts in long-range precision fires, air and missile defense, robotics, ground and aviation systems, Soldier equipment, cyber, and C4ISR missions. The primary objective is to ensure the Army has the workforce capacity to execute accelerated development and fielding of experimental prototypes, with a focus on high-priority, threat-based projects. The program supports integration, demonstration, and transition of technologies to acquisition programs for production and sustainment.