Medical Technology

The Medical Technology program element (PE 0602787A) within the Army's Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) budget supports applied research to optimize drugs, medical devices, practices, and preventive measures essential for Warfighter health and performance. The program's primary objective is to translate basic research findings into candidate solutions for military medical challenges, with a focus on compliance with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. Research is coordinated with the Defense Health Agency and aligned with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering's science and technology focus areas, as well as the Army Modernization Strategy. The program is externally peer-reviewed and coordinated across the Department of Defense (DoD) biomedical research community to avoid duplication of effort.

BS7: Medical Technology (CA) is a Congressional Interest Item that received funding in FY 2024 for a range of targeted research initiatives. Specific objectives include human performance optimization, understanding nutrition's impact on military health, advancing bioelectronic devices, and developing biomaterials for combat wound care. Additional efforts focus on cartilage healing, antimicrobial wound dressings, multiplexed assays for infectious diseases, musculoskeletal health, nanomaterials for bone regeneration, trauma immunology, and physiological studies of female Warfighters. Other funded projects include RNA therapeutics for infectious disease threats and research on osseointegrated implants. These initiatives are designed to address both immediate and long-term health and performance needs of military personnel.

MK4: Warfighter Health Applied Research Technology conducts research aimed at preventing and mitigating operational injuries, detecting physiological and psychological health problems, and enhancing rapid recovery from trauma and stress in operational environments. The program evaluates hazards to critical body areas, sets standards for return to duty, and explores methods to sustain and enhance readiness. Key research areas include physiological health and performance, environmental health and protection, injury prevention, and psychological resilience. The United States Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC) and Army Research Laboratory (ARL) are the primary executing agencies.

Within MK4, specific projects include the development of operational risk planning tools for environmental threats and prevention of performance degradation in extreme environments. Leader decision aids for managing blast head injury are also being developed. Additional efforts focus on establishing physical fitness standards to prevent musculoskeletal injuries, developing leader tools to reduce such injuries, and advancing biomedical performance enhancement strategies using machine learning and artificial intelligence. The program also investigates targeted nutritional countermeasures and supports research on energy field biological effects and mechanisms, particularly in response to emerging directed energy threats.

MM4: Combat Casualty Care Applied Research Technology is focused on refining and assessing concepts, techniques, and materiel to improve survivability and treatment outcomes for Warfighters wounded in combat, especially under austere and prolonged field care conditions. Research areas include control of severe bleeding, resuscitation and stabilization, advanced life support systems, treatment of severe orthopedic injuries, burns, and combat-related brain injuries. In FY 2026, funds are realigned to further support the development of technologies for en route casualty care, including exoskeletons for litter bearers, patient-specific medical device alarms, and training for nonmedical MEDEVAC crewmembers. The program also examines the effects of sleep deprivation on medical provider performance and evaluates pharmaceutical performance sustainment methods.

MM6: Medical Technologies to Support Dispersed Operations Technology supports research in medical robotic and autonomous systems (Med-RAS) and virtual health. The goal is to leverage robotics, autonomy, and information science to deliver prolonged care, enable remote telemonitoring, and provide automated decision support in dispersed and multi-domain operations. FY 2025 efforts include validating autonomous casualty care systems for integration with unmanned aerial systems (UAS), advancing interoperable data systems, and integrating decision support for ground personnel. In FY 2026, funds are realigned from MM6 to MM4 to further support casualty care technology development.