Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering

The Defense Innovation Board (DIB) held its summer board meeting at the Pentagon July 17. Speakers discussed the state of Department of Defense (DoD) innovation efforts as well as findings and recommendations from two studies: "Aligning Incentives to Drive Faster Tech Adoption" and "Optimizing Innovation Cooperation with Allies and Partners.”     Leaders also highlighted key findings emphasizing the need for the DoD to encourage and reward risk-taking and establish career paths for professional innovators while ensuring support for the warfighter. The meeting featured guest speakers, who shared insights on improving the connection between the research community and the warfighter, as well as the strategic implications of AI to cybersecurity.    The DIB unanimously approved its findings and recommendations for DoD leadership and announced plans for future studies related to unmanned systems and engagement with nontraditional defense industry. For more information about the Defense Innovation Board and its studies, visit  https://lnkd.in/gnVhkzFk. 

Dr. Aprille Ericsson recently received the GlobalMindED Inclusive Leader award in the space and aerospace category during the 10th-anniversary celebration in Denver, Colorado. GlobalMindED provides mentors, internships, and outreach to students in need of resources to help close the equity gap.    Ericsson also moderated the Allies and Diverse Leaders Transforming Defense, Space, and Aerospace panel. She expressed her gratitude for the support from her former colleagues at NASA, including Greg Robinson, the former director of the James Webb Space Telescope program, who is pictured with Ericsson.

Did you miss the digital engineering (DE) game show at the International Council of Systems Engineering (INCOSE) International Symposium (IS) in Dublin on July 2?  We’ve got you covered. You can put your knowledge to the test and watch Kerry Lunney claim the title as DE Champion here: https://lnkd.in/ewzfaYQ8    Hosted by Daniel Hettema, R&E director of Digital Engineering, Modeling & Simulation (DEM&S), the DE game show brought together government, industry, and academic experts, fostering insightful discussions and enabling the DoD to better identify, develop and deploy emerging technologies in support of national security interests. #INCOSEIS

Earlier this week, the United States hosted the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C. Among the Washington Summit Declaration was a recognition of the importance of developing advanced technology to sustain global security: “We have accelerated NATO’s transformation to meet current and future threats and to maintain our technological edge.”       R&E is proud to contribute to this ongoing effort with our allies. Our office is actively promoting experimentation and the rapid adoption of emerging technologies, such as FutureG, quantum, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. By leveraging these cutting-edge and disruptive technologies, we can further support the alliance, allies, partners, and other key initiatives, including the NATO Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA).     In October, R&E’s FutureG office will support the NATO Allied Command Transformation’s Digital Backbone Exercise (DiBaX) demonstration. During the event, R&E will showcase the ability to provide next-generation communication networks and application solutions that meet NATO warfighter requirements on the battlefield. This work aligns U.S. and NATO objectives for development, experimentation, and adoption of emerging technologies.      Read more about what Heads of State and Government of the NATO Alliance agreed this week at https://lnkd.in/gZ3g_Jfk

On June 27, Christopher Collins, the executive director for the R&E office of Developmental Test, Evaluation, and Assessment presented “dT&E as a Continuum – Leveraging the Power of Digital Engineering to Change the Paradigm of Validation Across the Capability Continuum,” at the Digital Engineering for Defense Summit in National Harbor, Maryland.    The presentation provided insight into the latest research related to digital engineering’s advancements in the test and evaluation in addition to how it helps decision makers deliver capability at the speed and scale of relevance. The presentation focused on testing as a continuum, focusing on the benefits of concurrent testing, the need for an agile approach and the maturation of digital engineering and a model-based systems engineering strategy.     The Digital Engineering for Defense Summit offered attendees the opportunity to hear from leaders across the digital engineering application community and collaborate to improve DoD digital practices. This group explored the latest advancements in digital engineering methods, tools, and applications as well as practical guidance to effectively integrate digital engineering methodologies across existing processes and programs for maximum effectiveness.

Today the Department of Defense (DoD) announced the first of 35 awards for the Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program (DBIMP) in support of President Biden’s Executive Order 14081, "Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy." "This first award is a major step toward realizing the vision of Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks when she directed establishment of DBIMP in Fiscal Year 2023. By making these investments in domestic bioproduction infrastructure, we are making a significant move toward fortifying the American industrial base," said Dr. Aprille Ericsson, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology. "The DoD is committed to leveraging biotechnology to secure our competitive advantage and keep pace with the demand for next-generation capabilities for our warfighters and allies." The remaining awards are expected to be announced throughout the coming months. More at: https://lnkd.in/esMBQv6J

Congratulations to Kerry Lunney for winning the title digital engineering (DE) champion in the digital engineering game show hosted by director of Digital Engineering, Modeling & Simulation Daniel Hettema at the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) International Symposium (IS) in Dublin, Ireland!     Kerry, the country engineering director and chief engineer at Thales Australia, emerged victorious in a fun and educational competition against two other experts. They tackled challenging topics in digital engineering, such as the number of diagram types defined in systems modeling language (SysML), and more.      DEM&S sponsored the trivia event as part of its efforts to help drive the practice of digital engineering forward, inspiring state-of-the-art capabilities for the U.S. warfighter.   Kudos to all contestants who participated at #INCOSEIS! #DEgameshow        Pictured (Left to Right): Terri Chan, M.S., MBA, Kerry Lunney, Duncan Kemp, Daniel Hettema

#ICYMI: The United States Department of Defense recently announced the selection of 11 university scientists and engineers to fill the 2024 class of the Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF), the DoD's flagship single-investigator award for basic research. The department will support the 2024 class with up to $33 million to explore the frontiers of knowledge and advance transformative, fundamental research at their respective universities. Named for Dr. Vannevar Bush, who played a monumental role in shaping the defense research enterprise as the director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development after World War II, the VBFF nurtures high-risk and innovative ideas that push scientists toward breakthrough discoveries. More at: https://lnkd.in/eahr5bXr

This month, Under Secretary Shyu and Dr. William LaPlante, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, hosted the 22nd annual Australia-United States Ministerial Defense Advanced Capability Committee (ADACC) meeting in Washington, D.C.      Australian counterparts, including Deputy Secretary of the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) Chris Deeble and Chief Defense scientist and professor Tanya Monro, joined Shyu and LaPlante in welcoming delegates from the United States and Australia to discuss current and future co-development, production, and sustainment cooperative efforts in pursuit of operationally relevant and strategically significant capabilities. Topics for discussion included maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO), guided weapons explosives ordnance (GWEO), and integrated air and missile defense (IAMD). Shyu, LaPlante, and their Australian counterparts also signed the ADACC terms of reference, which oversees and promotes collaboration on defense S&T and acquisition projects between the two nations.    Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) #DODInnovates #DefensePartners  #Defensetech

Happy Independence Day! Let's take a moment to reflect on the freedoms America offers and the work we do to create a better world. R&E wishes you and your family a safe and joyous holiday celebration. 🇺🇸 #IndependenceDay #4thofJuly